Love on a Fairy's Wing
by vannahfanfics
Summary: A collection of oneshots from the fandom of Fairy Tail. DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters presented in these stories, aside from my OCs. Those rights belong exclusively to Hiro Mashima. My requests are currently: FINAL CALL! Requests will be closing soon!
1. Foreword

Hello everyone! Welcome to my oneshot collection for Fairy Tail, _Love on A Fairy's Wing! _It includes a variety of stories, from passionate romances to tales of friendship, and I hope everyone enjoys reading them as much as I enjoy writing them. If you have migrated here from _Cuddle Corner, _thank you for sticking with me; if you are new, welcome and enjoy what I have here! In either case, happy reading!

I do take prompts/pairing and story requests (in fact, I love them, so please feel free to request!). However, there are a couple of guidelines to keep in mind:

If a prompt is submitted, I do not guarantee that I will agree to write it. If I feel uncomfortable at the prompt or otherwise feel like I do not possess enough information to adequately complete the prompt, it is my right to politely refuse to take the prompt. If the prompt is from a series that I have not read/seen, it is likely that I will place the prompt on hold until I have done so. If the prompt is from an anime filler arc, I may refuse or require a short explanation of the filler arc to provide me with enough detail to complete the prompt. Please respect my choice as an author to refuse prompts.

Most of the stories I write are male/female, mostly because this is what I am comfortable writing. However, if you wish to suggest a female/female or male/male prompt, please feel free to do so. I don't discriminate against such pairings and will most likely write them if requested, it is just unlikely that I will do so spontaneously. Again, please respect my decision as the author to refuse to write a pairing if I cannot draw appropriate inspiration.

Finally, this is _not _a place for smut. I respect people who read and/or write it, but I am not one of those people, so please do not request anything that is NSFW. Other than NSFW, there are two other things to keep I mind. _I do not romanticize cheating_. So if I feel your request involves something of this nature, I will politely refuse. I have been hassled about this before, so please don't press me on it. Secondly, _I am sensitive about large age gaps between characters_. These will be taken on a case-by-case basis and depends on the age of the characters as well as their relationship. I am particularly iffy concerning student-teacher relationships, and those will most likely be refused. Of course, everyone is entitled to their preferences and I will never harass you or judge you if you request something of this nature. All I ask is that if I refuse, you take is gracefully, and don't get upset if I happen to write another pairing with an age gap because the circumstances are most likely radically different. I promise you that I have my reasons.

Below is also a list of my other oneshot collections. Please do stop by if any of them pique your interest! Is there a fandom you love not represented? Please recommend it to me! I love new things to read.

The Bonds that We Hold Dear _(Naruto)_

Tales of Connected Souls _(Bleach)_

Tales from the Four Tribes _(Avatar: The Last Airbender and Avatar: The Legend of Korra)_

Equivalent Exchange: My Life for Yours _(Fullmetal Alchemist)_

Love Burning Bright _(Blue Exorcist)_

Tales of the Dawning Sun _(Yona of the Dawn)_

Love on the High Seas _(One Piece)_

Tales of Resonating Souls _(Soul Eater)_

Tales from Ouran High _(Ouran High School Host Club)_

One Sky, One Destiny _(Kingdom Hearts)_

Tales from Edo _(Gintama)_

Tales of Scattered Realms _(Final Fantasy Franchise)_

Tales of the Zodiac _(Fruits Basket)_

Tales of Heroes and Villains_ (My Hero Academia)_

Tales of Sinners and Saints _(The Seven Deadly Sins)_

Memories of the World Between_ (Noragami)_

Tales of the Mafia _(Katekyo Hitman Reborn!) _


	2. Index

**Chapter 1: **Two Hearts Become One_ (Gray/Lucy)_

**Chapter 2: **I'll Take Care of You _(Gray/Lucy)_

**Chapter 3: **When It Counts _(Lucy)_

**Chapter 4:** Keep Me Warm _(Natsu/Lucy)_

**Chapter 5:** Heartbeat_ (Gray/Lucy)_

**Chapter 6:** One for the Memories_ (Gray & Lucy & Juvia & Lyon)_

**Chapter 7:** Stars in Your Eyes_ (Natsu/Lucy)_

**Chapter 8:** Life in Every Breath _(Gray/Lucy)_

**Chapter 9:** Now and Forever _(Jellal/Erza)_

**Chapter 10:** Right Here With You_ (Gray/Lucy & Juvia & Lyon)_

**Chapter 11:** A Breath of Spring in Autumn _(Gray/Lucy)_

**Chapter 12:** A Visit_ (Natsu/Millianna)_

**Chapter 13:** To New Beginnings_ (Lucy/Gray)_

**Chapter 14:** Forever Begins Here_ (Lucy)_

**Chapter 15:** Sunshine on a Winter's Night_ (Lucy/Gray)_

**Chapter 16:** Romance Dawn _(Natsu/Lucy)_

**Chapter 17:** Fireside Confessional_ (Natsu/Lucy)_

**Chapter 18:** Call It Destiny_ (Natsu/Juvia)_

**Chapter 19:** A Place to Come Home To_ (Gajeel/Levy)_

**Chapter 20:** Strawberry-Lemon _(Natsu/Lucy)_

**Chapter 21:** Magnolia_ (Sting/Yukino)_

**Chapter 22:** Pillow Talk_ (Gajeel/Levy)_

**Chapter 23:** Snow Fairies_ (Gray/Juvia)_

**Chapter 24:** Wounds_ (Laxus/Mirajane)_

**Chapter 25:** A Smile Like the Sun _(Natsu/Lucy)_

**Chapter 26:** Live _(Gray/Lucy)_


	3. Two Hearts Become One

_**Author's Note: **__Hello, everyone! I am pleased to announce the addition of two new oneshot collections, Tales of Ouran High (Ouran High School Host Club) and Tales of Resonating Souls (Soul Eater)! Though no stories have been posted as of yet, feel free to head on over and leave a request!_

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Lucy Heartfilia and Gray Fullbuster

Requested by: farrah87 (Ao3)

Lucy sighed forlornly as she sat at one of the tables within the Fairy Tail guild, lamentedly swirling the drink in her cup around and around and around. With one sudden cry, she slammed the drink down against the wooden surface and immediately followed suit with her forehead.

"I'm so bored!" she whined miserably. Her normal partner, Natsu, had been recruited by Lisanna for a job because _her _normal partner Elfman was on a job by himself. Erza had basically bullied Wendy in taking a job with her because it required the use of her stat-boosting and wind magic abilities, and despite her attempts to be included on the mission, Lucy had been forced to remain behind on account of Erza's desire to "have one-on-one time with the impressionable little girl." As usual, Lucy had no idea what was going on in the legendary warrior's head. She _could _take a mission with someone else, she supposed, but it was just odd; it was either Natsu, or everyone on the team, and nothing else. _I don't know if I can take any more of this boredom any longer, though. _

"Hey, Lucy." The miserable girl raised her head when prompted, her lips still pursed into a sad pout. Gray was standing beside her with one hand in his coat pocket and the other holding up a piece of paper- a job. "Want to go on this job with me?" Lucy's unhappy expression immediately morphed to one of curiosity and confusion. Gray never asked her personally to take jobs; Juvia was his regular partner, and her jealous streak was enough of an annoyance for him to usually refrain from asking other female mages to take jobs with him just to save him the trouble of dealing with her. Even as Lucy took the job description to inspect it, she could feel the rain-woman's animosity brewing across the room. _I bet she's glaring daggers at me, _she thought with a weird combination of a smirk and deep frown. "I figured you would be a good person to ask because you know so much about books," Gray explained as she read over the request.

"A cursed book?" According to the description from a local shopkeeper, a magical book had landed in his inventory and he had been unable to get rid of it ever since. Every time he sold it, the customer would return it within days, sometimes hours, claiming it had cursed magical properties. Apparently, it had caused all sorts of problems, from temporary transformations to plagues of bad luck to making animals talk. He was at his wit's end and wanted a wizard to remove the curse so he could sell it once and for all. "It does sound like an interesting job." Though curses weren't something she cared to investigate, a book was enough to get her on board. "Let's go right now!" she grinned and hopped out of her seat. In her excitement, she grabbed Gray's hand to tote him along out of the guild, leaving Juvia seething with jealous rage in a corner until Gajeel knocked her in the head because she was disturbing his lyric-writing (which he probably needed to be interrupted because he was terrible at it).

Lucy was on cloud nine as she strolled down the streets of Magnolia Town, both at the prospect of investigating a magical tome and having a job to do in general. As she hummed happily under her breath, she wasn't even aware that she was still holding Gray's hand, or that he was pink-cheeked and looking anywhere but her because of it. She paused in the middle of the street to peer at the crudely-drawn map that had been included in the job request describing the shop's location. "Let's see… I think we take this turn here, and then a left, go down for three blocks, and make a right," she murmured and then looked at Gray to ensure he was listening. She narrowed her eyebrows when she discovered that he was not. "Hey, Gray, are you listening?"

"Oh, my, look at them. Such a cute couple." A bystander's comment distracted her from her scolding, and she looked to the side of the street to see two older women chuckling to themselves.

"Ah, young love. It's so wonderful," her partner agreed with a wistful sigh. Lucy turned red from her toes to the top of her head, finally realizing that her hand still enclosed that of the ice wizard, and she hurriedly retracted it like he had burned her terribly. Finally, he was able to look at her, and when he saw she was blushing so fiercely he turned a whole shade darker.

"Hey, what's the matter? You got a fever or something?" he spat and turned his face away again, but after a second he couldn't help but peer at her out of his peripheral vision. "If you're sick, we shouldn't go on this mission! I'll ask someone else!"

"I'm not sick!" she spat back but turned another hue of red. Lucy didn't want him to think her embarrassed, and she definitely didn't want him to ask someone else to go. Strangely, she wanted him to ask Juvia least of all, though they worked well together. _Gray and I work well together too!_ "Speak for yourself! You're turning red too!"

"Am not!" His face was the color of a ripe apple. "I-it's just really sunny, that's all! The sun is making us burn!" Without further ado, he grabbed her by her upper arm and yanked her sideways underneath the shady awning of a building, but inadvertently pulled her into him; as her nose bumped against his chest, she let out a surprised squeak while her face continued to explore every possible shade of red it could turn. Gray gasped and hurriedly stepped back, but put excessive distance between them and tripped backwards over a box. Lucy jumped as his red face were replaced by his feet, because he had tripped and fallen into an empty box behind it. "Wh-what the hell? I'm stuck!" he whined loudly as he tried pulling himself out of the tiny wooden structure to no avail. Still pink and embarrassed, Lucy could not help but burst into giggles seeing him red-faced with his behind crammed in a crate. "Lucy! It's not funny! Get me out!" _He's so cute!_

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," she mused and crouched down beside him to grab his arm. She was painfully aware of the feeling of his sculpted muscles beneath his coat sleeve as she stood and pulled hard. It took a few tries, but she was able to detach the ice wizard from the box. For a second, they both stood there beneath the cloth awning with identical blushes. _What the heck just happened? Why did we get all flustered like that? _She then whirled on her heel and coughed awkwardly. "R-right! To the shop!"

Somehow they were able to make it to the second-hand book shop with no more crazy incidents. A little bell rang to signal their arrival as they walked inside. "Hello? We're mages from Fairy Tail!" she called into the depths of the shop when she noticed no one was at the counter. Truthfully, Lucy cared little about the job in the moment, because her attention was captured by the piles and shelves of dusty tomes. The shelves stretched to the ceiling, and were crammed with all manners of books. Small ones, large ones, ones that looked brand-new and ones that were falling out of their bindings, magical textbooks, fairy tales, cookbooks, memoirs; it took all her willpower no to just abandon Gray right there, pick up a handful of them, and retreat to a cozy nook to absorb more knowledge and stories. Before she could act on her urge, a middle-aged man came trotting out from the back of the story, stopping to bow apologetically in front of them.

"Yes, thank you for coming! My name is Pazu; I own this bookstore. You've come to respond to my request?"

"That's right," Gray agreed and stepped a little closer behind Lucy. For some reason, she could feel his body heat radiating from him and it made her shiver, but in a good way. _What is wrong with me today? _She thought with an inward groan. The shopkeeper sank into a relieved smile.

"Oh, wonderful. Come, I have it in a case in the back of the store." The pair of wizards followed the man to the back wall, where a large, leather-bound volume was encased in glass. Lucy's mouth fell open in awe as soon as she saw it, it was so beautiful. It was bound in rich purple leather patterned in intricate runes that were inlaid with silver thread, and was as thick as the muscle on Gray's arm. _Wait, that's a weird analogy! _While she pondered what had her brain on the fritz, the shopkeeper's shoulders sagged and he sighed. "I picked this tome up from a traveling merchant. He said it was a book of spells, and it is, but apparently the book possesses enough magical power in itself to activate them on its own." Indeed, when she concentrated, Lucy could sense the magical energy pouring off the book in thick waves. "The curses go off randomly. I don't know what to do. Please help me!" he cried and bowed deeply to them.

"No problem. Let's see what this thing is hiding," Gray smirked and immediately swung the glass door of the case open and reached for the book. Lucy didn't have time to cry out that it was a terrible idea; as soon as his hand landed on the rich leather binding, the book flashed with blinding white light. Both she and Gray cried out in alarm as the white light enveloped them. Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear the intense whiteness, and gasped as she felt her body begin to hum with energy. It was a strange feeling, like her molecules were disassembling and reassembling a million times a second, leaving her with pins-and-needles all over. After a few seconds, the light dimmed and the strange sensation faded, so she opened her eyes hesitantly.

The first thing she noticed is that she felt taller. She was looking down at the shopkeeper now, while before she had been nearly eye-level with him. She also felt _denser _too, like she was packing more muscle weight. Were her clothes different too? She had been wearing a tank top, but her shirt had sleeves.

"Hey, Gr- oh!" That wasn't her voice coming out of her. It was _Gray's. _In a panic, she looked at her reflection in the glass case and gasped again. It wasn't her reflection, but the dark-haired man's. Her hands flew to her cheeks, which were not the soft cheeks of her body but the chiseled jawline of Gray. "We switched bodies!"

"God damn it!" Gray cursed, and it sounded unnatural in Lucy's high, feminine voice.

"I told you! It's cursed!" the shopkeeper wailed in dismay and sank to his knees. With a growl (it was strange feeling the guttural sound resonate in Gray's chest), Lucy yanked the dusty book out of the display case and began flipping through the pages trying to find the particular spell they had activated.

"Here it is! The body-swap curse!" Lucy cried. Gray frowned (it was weird seeing such a look on her own face) as he peered over her shoulder, but was so used to being taller that he made her crouch down so he could do as normal. Lucy grimaced, lamenting the burning in her- Gray's- knees while attempting to hold the book steady as she scanned the contents. "It says here that the only way to reverse the curse is 'for the fighting couple to reconcile and their hearts to become one.'" The words hung in the air for a while, before the two of them glanced at each other with bristling shoulders and matching blushes.

"We aren't a fighting couple!" Gray objected wildly. _Is that how I look when I blush? I'm adorable, _Lucy thought for a second before she recalled the problem at hand and nodded fiercely.

"Yeah- and what is this 'hearts become one' nonsense?" she huffed and tried reading the passage again a few times to discern a possible hidden meaning or clue. She found none, and with a heavy sigh she sank down to the floor in with her legs stuck out on either side of her and her head hung. "We're doomed."

"Don't do that girly pose in my body!" Gray snapped at her, and when she looked up at him dourly, she pointed at him while grinding her -Gray's- teeth.

"Don't do _that _in _my _body!" Gray had resorted to his signature casual stripping, and now he was in her body in just her bra and underwear. The shopkeeper had succumbed to the allure of her curvaceous body and was bleeding out of his nose onto the wooden shop floor with a contented sigh.

"What are you talking about- oh. When did that happen?"

"_I'm doomed_."

She and Gray sat in the second-hand shop for another hour attempting to riddle out how to break the curse before they abandoned the endeavor and decided to bring the book back to Fairy Tail for more wizened minds to investigate. Their cheeks were both dyed pink as they marched in silence down the street. Lucy kept fidgeting, not used to being taller and broader than everyone else, and thus bumping in to pretty much everyone they passed. Gray kept muttering under his breath about the lack of pockets in Lucy's outfits, because he kept going to slide his hands into them but met only the smooth fabric of her skirt. After they were halfway there, Gray groaned loudly and threw his head back in agony.

"God damn! Lucy, how do you do it? These things are killing my back!" he whined while shamelessly jiggling her chest. The only thing that came out of Lucy's mouth was senseless screeching gibberish as her brain short-circuited in her head.

"Don't touch my body like that! Pervert! You pervert!" she shrieked wildly while Gray somehow managed to replicate his moody, disinterested scowl on her girlish face. As Lucy tilted back her head and cried a little bit, lamenting the unfortunate turn of events, someone shouted at them from down the street.

"Gray! Long time no see!" Lucy tilted her head slightly to see who was calling them, finding a familiar shock of bright blueish-white hair and familiar fashion sense.

"Oh. It's Lyon." The Lamia Scale wizard stopped a foot or two short of them, smiling brightly. "What do you want?" Gray sighed, looking far too irritated to deal with his friend at the moment. It was even stranger coming out her normally friendly self, and Lyon noticed, raising his eyebrows before turning to Gray- well, herself in Gray's body.

"I'm here to challenge you for Juvia!"

"Do _what?_" they both screamed in unison, and before either of them could explain the strange body-swap curse, Lyon grinned devilishly and fell into his ice-make pose. Lucy screamed- emitting a very high-pitched sound that was several octaves higher than Gray's normal voice- and flung to the side as a lion made of ice pounced at her with sharp claws. "No! Lyon! Wait! I'm not Gray!" she wailed miserably as she huddled on the ground, hand on her head and butt in the air.

"Lucy! You're making me look uncool! Ice make- shit!" Gray snapped and went to perform his magic, momentarily forgetting that Lucy had no such capabilities. He snatched her keys from her belt and began jingling them around. "How the hell do you use these?"

"Don't treat my Celestial keys like that!" Lucy snapped at them as she rolled across the street to avoid the icy lion again. As she landed, clumsily because she was a bit heavier than she was used to being, Lyon was standing in the middle of the street with his shoulders hunched in disappointment.

"Come on, Gray. You're being no fun…"

"I told you I'm not Gray!" Lucy screeched angrily and jumped at him to slam her fist down on his head. As Lyon crouched down, whining as he cradled his head, the lion disintegrated into snow flurries and vanished. Lucy stood over him with her hands on her hips while Gray continuously bleated that she was making him look like a dork. "Gray and I have switched bodies on accident! Fight him some other time!"

"No, Lucy, I don't want to fight him ever! It's too much of a pain!" Gray whined in the background. Lyon looked up at her with knitted eyebrows, then at Gray in her body, the back to her in Gray's.

"… That's weird."

"Yeah, I know, so do you know anything about breaking curses?"

Lyon proved exceptionally unhelpful. He was originally going to follow them to Fairy Tail, but Gray kicked him in the behind (which he validated by saying it was something she would do) and sent him packing to his hotel, both ego and body bruised. Lucy was utterly exhausted by the time they came stumbling through the door to the guild, though it was only mid-day. Lucy let out a _gak! _as Juvia sprang out of nowhere to wrap her in a tight hug.

"My Gray! Oh, I missed you so much! Are you tired from having to put up with Lucy?" she asked with a glare at her body, and Lucy swore for a second her eyes turned as red as blood. Gray's face- or rather, her own- was a portrait of acute disgust and embarrassment.

"Juvia, I'm Lucy. We're under a curse," she explained as the blue-haired woman nuzzled her shoulder affectionately, and Juvia retracted with a hiss, shoulders hunched; if she had been a cat, her ears would be flattened to her head and hackles bristling.

"What? How dare you invade my Gray's body, Lucy! Get out! Get out right now!" she demanded and looked at her body as if she was considering being affectionate, but the sight of her, even if it was Gray's soul inside it, was enough to make her shiver. Lucy's shoulders hunched up to her ears.

"I didn't do it on purpose! Trust me, I would like to get out of it as soon as possible!"

"What are you saying? Gray's body is perfect! You should be honored to be in it!"

"Make up your mind, Juvia!" Lucy screamed and tugged at the blue-black hair of Gray's head in frustration, then sighed heavily and hung her head. "Ugh, whatever. Come on, Gray, let's see if Mirajane or the Master can help us." She looked to her right and found empty space where he had been. He had obviously snuck off while Juvia was too involved arguing with her to notice. "_Gray!_"

Unfortunately for the cursed mages, neither Mirajane nor the Master could offer any ideas to how to reverse the curse aside from the scripted clause. Lucy wanted to end this curse as soon as possible, so she forced Gray to accompany her to her apartment to riddle out the curse no matter how long it took. After hours of wracking her brain, Lucy flung back against the couch with an exhausted groan, watching through lidded eyes as her head bobbed up and down as Gray came dangerously close to nodding off to sleep. "Gray, this is hopeless. We're gonna be stuck like this forever." She ran a hand through her- his- hair and in her tired delirium appreciated the softness of the strands, fingers lingering amongst the fine fibers for a minute.

"Maybe it isn't as complicated as you think." She raised an eyebrow at him as he straightened up at looked at her. The serious expression he was wearing looked kind of odd on her face. "'A fighting couple has to reconcile and their hearts become one,' right?"

"Yeah, but Gray, you and I aren't really fighting about anything, and we aren't a couple."

"Maybe that's just it." Lucy's mouth twitched, somehow simultaneously liking and dreading where the conversation was heading. Her body betrayed Gray's embarrassment, the cheeks of her face turning pink. "Um… Maybe… The problem is that we're fighting each other about being honest to one another." He tilted his head to the side and scratched his head, a very Gray gesture. Lucy didn't know what he meant, or maybe she did, and the thought of it frightened her a little. Her gaze drifted to the bottom corners of her eyes, a natural gesture when she was uncomfortable.

"Gray, I don't think I understand what you mean…" No, she _did _understand, deep down; she wanted to deny it still, or maybe she didn't and just wanted Gray to be the one to say it, because she just didn't have the courage to say it herself. She couldn't straight; her mind was simultaneously blank and whirling with a million thoughts, landing on strange things like how sexy Gray looked all the time whether he was clothed or not, how sometimes she wished Gray was her partner instead of Natsu even though Natsu was her best friend in the entire world because the thought of Juvia spending all that time alone with him drove her insane, about how some nights she would lay in bed staring out the window at the stars wondering if Gray was looking at those same stars and if he was wondering if Lucy was looking at those stars too, and-

"Lucy…" Somehow Gray managed to bring a mannish sultriness to her feminine voice that sent another one of those good shudders through her body, and for a moment the strange maelstrom in her mind halted so that she could focus on him. Even though it was her body that she was looking at, standing up from the opposite couch to walk around the table to stand over her with this _look _on her face, Lucy could only recognize it as Gray. What _was_ that expression? He never looked at Juvia that way, but it was a look she had seen on him before when looking at her, this happiness mixed with careful contemplation and a little bit of hesitation, too. "Be honest with yourself."

_Be honest. _So simple a thing yet so complicated, too. If she was honest with herself, so much would change, every dynamic of every relationship they had; Lucy had denied it, denied it to keep the status quo, but she couldn't deny it anymore. Gray wasn't denying it anymore; that's what he was telling her. It was amazing how awfully clear it was to her just then. They didn't even have to say it out loud for the two of them to recognize it, because in that moment, their hearts and minds were one.

Lucy's living room became enveloped with the blinding white light, and once again the strange pins-and-needles assaulted her entire body. When the magic spell faded, Lucy had to flew her hands for a moment, momentarily unable to believe that she was back in her own body. Before she could say anything, Gray grabbed her by the hips and pulled her down onto his lap, making her yelp; again, before she could say anything, his mouth had covered her own, and then she didn't even _think _of saying anything because there was nothing to be said. Lucy's body melted as Gray kissed her softly, and in her euphoria, Lucy pressed herself against him, desperate to feel as much as him as she could. She could feel his heart beating beneath her own; their heartbeats beat out of tune at first, but gradually settled into a matching rhythm, a gentle synchronized cadence softly echoing as once more their hearts and minds and _souls_ aligned.

When he pulled away from her, Lucy was hesitant to do so, and her mildly flushed face hovered a few centimeters away from his. She had been longing for that moment and was admittedly a little disappointed it had been so brief. He smirked up at her. "You have that pouty look on your face again." This made her blush further, because it meant that he took careful note of his expressions just like she did his, and that made her a little shy. "Come on, aren't you going to say something?"

"I love you." He was probably expecting her to say something bratty as she often did, because a look of shock came over his face. That was what she was feeling, though, and it was the only thought that dominated her mind. "I love you, Gray." The ice wizard's face melted into a loving smirk and he wound his arms around her waist, pulling her body against his while he looked up at her alluringly.

"I love you, Lucy." This time, Lucy leaned in to kiss him, and he allowed it. Lucy knew everything was going to change after that, but honestly, she didn't care; for that brief time, she just enjoyed it, the way their two hearts had become one.


	4. I'll Take Care of You

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster, Silver Fullbuster

Requested by: Star_dress03 (Ao3)

The cracked stone floor beneath Lucy as she lay there, panting and exhausted, felt icy cold, but it was still hard not to be warmed by the sight of four of her dearest friends standing protectively around her, glaring daggers at the four Tartaros members who had tried to claim her life only moments ago. Gajeel, Juvia, Gray, and Natsu… Tears of joy and relief leaked from her eyes, puddling beneath her scratched and bruised cheek. _I did it… I saved everyone. _Still, the cost had been too much… She could feel the shattered remnant of Aquarius' key still clutched in her hand, and though it hurt to do even such a small thing, she curled her fingers around it. _Aquarius… _she lamented silently, her bottom lip wobbling as the tears that flooded her eyes became those of sadness and guilt. _If only I was stronger…! _Barely awake, Lucy looked up as Gray addressed one of the Tartaros members, a dark-haired man in armor with a scar across the top of his head. Maybe in her delirium, Lucy thought that the man almost resembled the Fairy Tail ice mage.

"You're…" Hesitation crept into Gray's voice, and he looked away uncomfortably. "No, you can't be…" Lucy narrowed her eyebrows slightly in confusion. It couldn't be possible that Gray knew this man somehow, could it? The other Fairy Tail members were similarly captivated by the strange ice mage.

"Come to think of it, that's the bastard who froze the Giant's Village!" Natsu recalled with a disdainful snort and a cross of his arms.

"His stench kinda reminds me of yours, Gray," Gajeel frowned while sniffing the air, and after a second, Natsu joined in a muttered something about him being right. At the pair of dragon-slayers' comments, Gray set his jaw and hesitantly took a step back from the man. Lucy could see his hands curling into fists, shaking ever so slightly. _There is definitely more to this… _Not that Lucy was in any position to figure it out; she was at the last of her magic power, with barely the strength to perform small body movements. Whatever was between Gray and the other ice mage, they would have to sort it out for themselves…

As it turned out, that's exactly what the older man was thinking. His white cloak flashed as he suddenly shot past Natsu to grab Gray by the arm, startling him greatly.

"This runt is mine," he growled, and as Lucy called Gray's name, his eyes flickered down to where she was lying only a few feet away. In a flash he was next to her, crouching down to wrap an arm around her middle while dragging Gray unceremoniously across the stone floor. "And the Celestial Mage, too." Lucy squeaked in alarm as the man so callously and unabashedly scooped her up from the cracked stone, and she heard her friends shouting her name as their forms and the landscape blurred, and she was carried off away from the battle and into an impending one.

Lucy grunted as she was dropped onto her belly, again laying on cold, cracked stone. They had been brought to a section of the grand fortress that had already been collapsed thanks to the destructive Fairy Tail mages, and the landscape was nothing but crumbled walls and ruined parapets and crushed marble bricks. She gasped as the older ice mage flung Gray forward with little care or emotion. Gray, being in a much better state physically than she, did not simply crash into the stone but managed to perform a roll and whip around to face the man, crouching low and watching him guardedly. Lucy attempted to crawl toward Gray, her hand trembling with overexertion and, admittedly, a moderate level of fear, grasping for him though he was too far away. Lucy then screamed in pain as the ice mage firmly planted a boot in the middle of her back, effectively pinning her at his feet. "I have to admit, I had no idea that this little girl would be strong enough to destroy the Plutogrim," he sniffed with disdain and, to cause Lucy further pain, continuously pressed his foot into her battered body. Lucy tried her best to avoid giving him the satisfaction of hearing her pained cries, but in her condition, she couldn't refrain from letting a few whimpers slip out. The entire time, Gray hunkered against the stone glaring vicious daggers, obviously enraged but too cautious to outright attack for fear of retaliation against Lucy. "Not that it matters, anyway, all your efforts; your little pathetic guild may have destroyed _one _Face, but that still leaves two thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine of them." Lucy looked up in horror as a demented smirk flashed across his face. _What? That wasn't the only one? And there are that many…?_

"Three thousand Face, huh? The council sure built one hell of a weapon," Gray grunted. He was in much better control of his emotions, or was simply so pissed off for his treatment of Lucy that it didn't leave much room for much else. He maintained that steady blank expression bordering on furious rage.

"I was hoping to see some despair on your face. Maybe I will if I cut out this little girl's heart!" Still held against the ground by his body weight, Lucy could do nothing but stay frozen in fear as he threw his cloak back, the ice magic weaving frosty wind in his hand as he preparing to use it to bring Lucy to a pitiful end. _I'm going to die…! _She thought in panic, not even having the strength to push up against his foot and mount at least some semblance of a resistance effort. Her wide, brown eyes searched for Gray, not wishing her last sight to be the murderous Tartaros wizard, and they found him right in front of her. As any icy spear formed in the wizard's hand, rapidly plunging toward where her heart would be from behind, Gray countered by making a large icy broadsword and knocking the icy weapon aside. To avoid being cleaved in two, the Tartaros ice wizard jumped backward, leaving Lucy free. Having been met with near-death experiences several times in an unproportioned amount of time, Lucy's stock of bravado was quite depleted, and so she didn't try and stop the tears of relief from flooding down her cheeks.

"Gray," she whined quietly and, using her heightened emotions to propel her body, weakly reached up to grab his pants leg, knowing she couldn't pull herself up but still wishing to anchor herself to him in some way lest she be taken again. The icy sword disintegrated into sparkling snowy particles as he hurriedly crouched down to pull her into his arms, hopping back several yards to put ample distance between them and the ice wizard. Rather than set her down, Gray kept her tightly wrapped in his embrace as he allowed the full force of his rage show on his face; it looked like it was etched in the hardest stone, while his eyes blazed with a cool, dark fire. When he glanced down at Lucy, however, it immediately melted like snow on a warm morning, his features softening into a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Lucy. I've got you," he told her as he reached up to brush the tangled, limp stands of hair from her scratched, pale face. "I won't let _anybody _hurt you anymore." Maybe it was her raging emotions or acute exhaustion, but in that moment, everything about Gray and her relationship with him seemed to shift gears; Lucy had always thought of him as brave, like Natsu and everyone else in the guild, but there was something so impossible _heroic _about him in that moment that it made her heart begin to pound. Her face, previously white from terror, took on a pink hue instead. The words he uttered weren't out of place for a comrade, but there seemed to be a lot more meaning behind them than just a bond of friendship. The way he was looking at her, too, that smile and the way his eyes searched every part of her, was just too obvious. _Has he always looked at me this way? _Lucy thought, on the border of delirium as her heart and brain struggled to find some sort of middle ground between everything that was happening to her in those few seconds. She was snapped out of her internal fit as Gray gently lowered her to the ground and stepped over her to protectively plant himself between her and the Tartaros ice mage. His hands were balled into fists as he glowered at his foe. "You bastards have put Lucy through enough hell. You're gonna get it all back ten-fold."

"Sounds like fun. Simply killing you would be too boring," the mage laughed, completely unfazed by Gray's threats.

"Enough with the bullshit. You know me, don't you?"

"Yeah. Quite well, actually." Lucy watched apprehensively as the pair stared each other down. Their curled smile with veiled hostility on the Tartaros wizard's face was so like the one Gray would wear that it was frightening, almost as if they were related.

"I also know your face, and your voice. I know them, but you're a different person. _Who are you?" _The pieces began to click into place in Lucy's mind as she watched the intense standoff. _No way… It can't be! Is this man-_

"Your father." He was so calm in saying it, but Gray was anything but calm.

"That can't be! My father is _dead_! I saw it happen!" he shrieked, and as he waved his arm angrily, about a dozen icy blades materialized in front of him and shot towards the Tartaros wizard. Again, unfazed, he simply waved a hand to splinter them and send the icy, glass-like shards falling to his feet.

"My name is Silver Fullbuster. I _am _your father, Gray." Lucy just sat there huddled on the ground, nervous as she watched the twisted family reunion take place; the demon Deloria had murdered Gray's family, but yet his father was standing right in front of them, as their enemy, no less. Gray's rage continued to burn, and with an expression bordering on lunacy he coated his hand in ice and attempted to punch Silver in the face. Effortlessly, the man dodged it, and, when Gray tried to punch him away, just as effortlessly blasted him away with a gust of icy wind. As Gray went spinning through the air, Lucy gasped and attempted to jump up to catch him, but just fell uselessly on her face. She gritted her teeth in frustration, her eyes stinging with yet again more tears. _I'm so useless! All I can do is sit here and cry, when Gray needs my help! _

"There's no way my father is alive!" Gray shouted angrily at Silver, making her look up. The Tartaros wizard began cackling wildly, which only served to infuriate Gray more.

"Ahahaha! That's exactly what I thought you would look like!" he howled as Gray went into his ice make pose, but with a callous wave of his hand Silver again sent him on the defensive. _Gray can't get near him! _After a second, Silver stopped laughing and his face settled into a dark smirk. "I'll tell you this… The part about your father being alive is no lie, but me… Well, I make the story a little complicated."

"What the hell does that mean?" Gray snapped from where he was leaned up against a crumbling section of wall, the remnants of a building that he had just crashed into. Silver grinned devilishly.

"You and I are _destined _to fight, Gray."

"I still don't know what the hell you're talking about!" he shouted and stood up to come at him again, but with that same absurd ease Silver knocked him down on his behind again. The rock behind him exploded as he crashed into it, and Gray was hunched on his hands and knees on the ground, breathing hard and bleeding from a multitude of scrapes and scratches all over his body. Seeing him in such a state sent Lucy's nerves into overdrive, providing her just enough strength to crawl over to him.

"Gray," she whispered, not sure what to really say to him with the frightening development but still feeling like she should comfort him in some way. She hesitantly placed her hands on his back and chest, afraid in his anger he would rebuke her, but when he did not recoil or snap at her she gently helped him sit up. He leaned up against the rock, one eye closed as he fought off the pain and exhaustion, while he held up one arm in front of her protectively. Silver cocked his head aside with a scowl.

"Girl, you're interrupting our father-son time," he frowned, and Lucy ducked her head under her arms as he sent a blast at the cold wind at her. Instead of feeling the cold, painful rush of ice needles, she felt Gray's body collide with hers. That was pretty painful, too, but her concern for him overrode that.

"Gray!" she cried as he fell on his side into her lap, groaning slightly and bleeding even more.

"That was stupid, throwing yourself in front of her like that. You're only getting yourself more beat up." _He shielded me from the attack! _She realized in a mixture of relief and horror, while Gray just grunted and again shot him that fiery glare. "I don't want you to die defending that girl before I can explain it all to you, so I guess I'll let it go for now," Silver shrugged indifferently. Lucy's lips pursed and her eyes narrowed, her hands once again finding Gray's body to steady him. _This man… Whatever he once was, has become evil and twisted! _The rush of anger was overtaken by a wave of sadness. _Gray must be in so much pain. _Indeed, beneath her fingers she could feel him trembling. _Stay strong, Gray. _"I suppose I should start with this body of mine. You see, it's nothing more than a vessel, a corpse that happened to be lying around. All the members of Tartaros are demons from Zeref's book, so of course my original form was _far_ from human." Lucy felt Gray stiffen in shock. "It's a bit of a hassle to run around this world as a demon, as you can imagine, so of course I choose to be human most of the time. It just so happened that I found this wonderful corpse, and I've been using it ever since. It was a bit of a coincidence that it happened to be _this _body, or maybe it wasn't."

Lucy began to tremble herself as she listened to his deranged speech. _What a monster! He can so callously speak of Gray's father that way! _When she looked at the Fairy Tail mage, his eyes had gone wide and his face pale, and all traces of anger had faded from his expression. It was just one of shocked horror now, disbelief bordering on a breakdown. Lucy wrapped her arms around Gray in a slight hug, hoping that her presence could somehow provide him some comfort. _It must be so much for him to hear… I don't know what I can do, _she thought as she rested her cheek against his back. She had never realized how broad and strong it was.

"I'm here for you, Gray. " she whispered, quietly so Silver- or whoever he really was- wouldn't hear. She felt his body shift slightly, and a bit of the tension release.

"Don't fuck with me, asshole," Gray snarled. "Going around using my father's corpse however you want… Even if I have reasons to hate you, you've got none to hate me!" As he stood up, though Lucy wanted to keep holding onto him, she allowed her arms to slip back down to her sides. Again, all she could do was sit there as Gray stared down the demon-possessed body. "What the hell is your problem?"

"Well, I tried killing all of Ur's little brats, but in the end, that wasn't very satisfying. She has been out of business for ten years, after all…" She could see the tension return in his body, and a horrible realization dawned upon Lucy. _It can't be! _"My name is Deloria! Surely you haven't forgotten me, eh, Gray?" he cackled suddenly.

"It's not possible…" Gray whispered, shaken again, and stepped back slightly and hung his head. "Ur _killed _you!"

"Oh, that's true, but as you know, Tartaros has a regeneration facility."

"Are you really _that _Deloria?" His head was still hung low, his hands balled into fists and shoulders hunched. Lucy could tell that he was reaching his breaking point.

"Don't make me show my true form, boy. You remember, don't you? How I slaughtered both your parents?"

When Gray looked up, Lucy had never seen such a murderous expression on his face before- so murderous that it frightened her. She only watched helplessly, shaking, as Gray charged the demon head-on. All traces of rational thought in him were gone. _If this keeps up, he'll get himself killed! _She thought as they collided in a brilliant explosion of sparkling ice crystals. Silver hopped away and shattered the ice Gray had just made, turning them into sharp shards to shoot them back at the Fairy Tail wizard; as Gray into the air to escape them, he fell right into the trap. Silver sent him careening across the battlefield again, and Lucy screamed as Gray went plummeting off the side of the cliff. However, Gray wasn't going down that easy. He formed platforms of ice in the air to vault himself back up, heading straight for Silver.

"Ice Make: Excalibur!" he roared as he brought down a mighty ice sword onto Silver's head. Lucy thought for sure that would work, but she heard him howling with laughter again; he had just bent over backwards and halted the ice sword with his hands. Lucy's eyes widened in shock as he _ate _the ice, just as she had seen Natsu do with fire magic time and time again.

"Magic of their own kind is useless against Slayer-type mages. Ur's apprentices can only use ice magic… So, I learned devil-slayer magic." He then lashed out at Gray again, and Lucy watched apprehensively as blood splurted from his body where icy shards had formed. She knew that it took more than that to kill him, but the battle certainly was not in his favor. Gray crashed roughly into the ground, while Silver grinned madly. "Yes! Yes! There's the despair I wanted to see! After I kill you, I'll kill Lyon! Then I'll murder your precious friends, one after the other!" Lucy squeaked in fright as his attention focused on her. "Starting with the troublesome Celestial Mage here!" Lucy was completely exposed where she was sitting and in no position to dodge the attack, so she did the only thing she could do.

"Gray, help!" she screamed. She knew in that moment all she could do was rely on him, as Silver sent a bombardment of the ice shards rocketing towards her. He delivered, appearing at her side to scoop her up and jump away; the ice shards destroyed the already damaged rock behind where she had just been sitting. As Gray set her down on the ruined stone floor a few yards away, crouching beside her and dripping red blood onto her arms and legs, she looked up at him pitifully. "I'm sorry… I'm nothing but a burden to you," she sniffed. "Look, you're all beat up…" _I can't believe I didn't even try to dodge it! I'm relying on him too much! I'm making it __**worse**__!_

"This is nothing," he reassured her with a strained grin, standing back up to plant himself again between Silver and herself. "I told you, I'm not letting _anybody _hurt you again, Lucy! That includes this sadistic asshole right here!" he shouted and pointed at Silver, who was frowning because he was obviously upset his attempt to kill Lucy failed. "Stop spouting all that bullshit with my father's body and voice!" he roared and fell into his signature pose. "Ice Make: Ice Impact!" A gigantic hammer formed above Silver and came crashing down, splintering the ground beneath him. Lucy shielded her face as little shards of stone rained down on her.

"Not gonna work!" Silver shouted, and she looked up to see him once again eating the ice. He then whirled around with a deadly serious expression. "You may want to move, or the girl will die," he said as he whipped his arm back for a presumedly massive attack.

"Sorry about this," Gray grunted, and before she could react, grabbed her by the back of her shirt and flung her unceremoniously away.

"Gray! No!" she shrieked as Silver released a massive icy blast at him, and he vanished from her sight within the roiling, icy white wind. She crashed roughly to the ground, and she groaned for a second in pain before forcing herself to look around for Gray. He was on the ground too, shaking violently as he struggled to push himself up. The tears that had not stopped for a second began to flow more freely. "Gray! Be strong, Gray!" she shouted at him over Silver's incessant cackling.

"Don't worry, Lucy…" he hissed as he stood up, pressing a hand against his profusely bleeding abdomen. "I promise… With these hands, I'm going to _destroy _him."

"You're chances of winning are zero percent," Silver snickered back. Gray made a cannon out of ice, sending a high-speed bullet at Silver. He didn't even attempt to dodge it. "It won't wor-" He was cut off as a section of rubble the size of his head smashed into his face, sending his head whipping back so heard she thought for sure his neck would snap. He looked at Gray in deranged anger and a little bit of surprise.

"Eat this!" Gray roared, a handful of cannons around him firing all at once. Silver gritted his teeth as he defended himself against the onslaught.

"You're crafty, but-!" he waved a hand, and a shiver went through Lucy's body as a chill wind swept across the ruined fortress, coating every bit of the rubble in ice. "What will you do now that everything is covered in ice?"

"This is the magic that froze the giant's village," Gray remarked while looking around, then smirked. "You just dug your own grave. I can pass this magic through my body and recreate it however I wish!" Lucy's eyes widened, as did Silver's.

"What are you talking about?"

"You said it yourself- magic of your own type won't work on slayer-type. I'm _well _aware of that, but there's an exception." Lucy wracked her brain thinking of what he could mean, and then it dawned on her. _Of course! He knows Natsu can't eat his own flames, so Silver must not be able to eat his own ice! If Gray uses Silver's ice against him, he can't nullify it! _Gray's body began to glow with magic power, and he dropped down to place a hand against the frozen ground and absorb the magic. "_Now disappear!" _He roared and sent a vortex of ice spiraling at Silver. Lucy, having recovered a bit of her strength, sat up on her knees and clasped her hands together.

"Please work!" she prayed aloud, hoping that her hope would be the difference.

It wasn't.

"Yes, I can't eat my own ice," Silver growled. Lucy fell back on her legs as Silver emerged from the swirling mist, completely unfazed and unharmed. "It's still _ice. _It's not gonna work." He looked up at the bewildered Gray with that same twisted grin. "Have I made you remember it yet? _The terror of Deloria?" _Lucy shuddered at the absolute madness in his expression and voice. She was no longer sure… if this was an opponent that Gray could beat.

_No! I have to be strong, too! I can't help him fight, but I can support him from here! My hope will be his hope! _She resolved quickly. Still, it was hard to hang onto that as Silver once again just tossed Gray aside like a rag doll.

"What's happening? You've lost your energy. Are you _scared?" _Silver mocked. _No! He can't give up! _

"Gray! Don't give up! You can beat him; I know it!" she shouted, then gasped as Silver began kicking him savagely in his wounded stomach. "I want to see your face more twisted," he sneered, and then once again looked at Lucy. She gasped and tried to crawl away, but he was much faster. She screeched in agony as he jerked her up by her hair, pulling on it roughly.

"_Lucy!_" Gray shouted and lunged for her, only to fall to the ground in a bleeding heap.

"Gray…" she whimpered, then cried out as Silver tugged on her hair again.

"Yes, that's it! Fear! You're more afraid of her death than your own!" Lucy wanted to be tough, but as his booted foot smashed into her ribs, all attempts of bravado dissolved as the flaming pain blossomed through her body. She threw her head back as she screamed in agony, the tears flooding down her cheeks once more. "I wanna see you beg, girl," Silver snickered as he pulled her by her hair all the way up to where they were face-level. It hurt like hell, like he was ripping every hair out of her head, from the force of her own body weight pulling her down. Lucy's bottom lip trembled as she glared weakly at him. "Oh? Still some deviance left? I'll _beat _it out of you." Lucy's world reeled as he backhanded her across the face, busting her lip in just one blow. "Come on! Beg him again to save you!" Through lidded eyes, Lucy watched Gray struggled to get up, slipping in his own blood. Silver slapped her again, and she felt her eye swelling up. "Do you want to die after all, girl? Go on! Call out for him!"

As much as she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to. She had already faltered once. _All I am right now is a burden… _Gray had told her it was all right, but it wasn't, not in her mind. She would not allow herself to slip into that hopeless fear again. _I have to be strong so he can be strong. _Lucy didn't flinch as she heard him forming the ice sword in his hand. "Stubborn girl. You're not fun to play with," he growled. Before he could drive it through her body, Gray managed to pull himself to his feet and throw his entire body against Silver, unbalancing him. Gray grabbed Lucy around the middle and ripped her away from Silver as he stumbled, again carrying her to safety. As he set her down, he gasped as more blood poured from his wound and he fell heavily against her.

"Gray!"

"I'm okay," he huffed and looked up at her. One of his eyes was closed as blood poured into it from a scratch on his forehead, and blood leaked from the corners of his mouth. He looked a mess, and the worry must have shown on her face. "As long as I have you here supporting me, Lucy, I'll keep fighting." Lucy's face flushed. _I'm really helping! _

"Do you really think you can win?" Silver snorted in derision. Gray straightened up, pushing Lucy- who ironically now found she could stand up- behind him.

"I _have _to win," he answered darkly, shaking from both the effort to keep standing and determination. "I have to win because I'm making sure Lucy's going home!"

"Ice won't work. I've blocked your physical attacks. You can't just win with your _feelings._"

"Not yet… I've still got something left." Lucy stepped back as he fell into an unfamiliar stance, panting heavily. _I've got a bad feeling… _she thought and held her hands to her chest. "Iced Shell." As he uttered those words, her blood ran cold.

"Gray! No! Don't do it!" she shrieked and jumped forward to grab him by the shoulders, but he shrugged her off. Even though she could stand, the rough motion still unbalanced her and sent her falling back to the ground. "No! Gray!" she begged him though she knew he had made up his mind.

"You're bluffing. That move freezes the opponent for eternity in exchange for their life. You wouldn't do it. Besides, ice doesn't work on me, not even Iced Shell," Silver mused. He was completely unbothered by the threat.

"Oh? Think back… That magic imprisoned you for ten years."

"That's before I mastered demon-slaying magic."

"Then have the guts to take this!" Gray roared, his body glowing and beginning to distort slightly. Silver's expression turned to one of slight panic.

"You can't! You'll die!" he cried out. Lucy lunged forward on her hands and knees, reaching out for him.

"No, Gray! _Don't leave me!"_ She realized it now; she realized why it seemed he had changed all of a sudden, and she hadn't gotten the chance to tell him. "_I lo-"_

"_Stop!" _Silver screeched and waved a hand, slicing through Gray's middle. Lucy was about to scream, until Gray's form shifted into a crumbling ice sculpture. "What?" Silver cried and whipped around as Gray appeared behind him.

"For my family… And for Ur… I will surpass you, Deloria!"

"No, Gray, _please! _Remember what Natsu did!" Lucy continued to beg him, though she wasn't sure her voice was reaching him. Natsu had stopped him from using Iced Shell once before, but he wasn't here now. She pulled herself to her feet, sobbing miserably. "_Don't do it! I-"_

"Listen to the girl!" Silver interrupted. Gray's eyes shifted downward, and for a moment hope fluttered inside of her, hope that her pleas had changed his mind. Then they flickered upwards again, fiery and defiant.

"_Sorry."_

Lucy screamed as the ice magic shot from Gray's body and weaved around Silver, who was also screaming in fear.

"Ice doesn't work on me!" he was shouting, as if it would make it true, while Lucy fell to her knees, the tears now streaming silently down her cheeks. _Gray… _Then, the ice magic rebounded, and Silver grinned maniacally in triumph. "I crushed your Iced Shell!" he grinned to the shocked Gray. Lucy looked up, expecting Gray to die at Silver's hands, but there was another Gray standing behind Silver now, right in front of her. The _real _Gray.

"I'm sorry, Lucy. I almost forgot something important," he murmured as the other Gray, another ice sculpture, crumbled to pieces. "I can't die, because I don't want to see anyone crying… Especially not you." Lucy's bottom lip wobbled precariously as the tears of desperation turned to those of relief. _He did hear me! _Silver whipped around in shock, and they both realized at that time that Gray was holding a steel ball.

"When did you-?"

"I was the one who melted the giant's village." While they had been preoccupied trying to prevent Gray from using the Iced Shell, he had melted the ruins and supposedly picked up his new weapon. Before Silver could even finish turning around, Gray coated his arm in a thick armored gauntlet of ice. Lucy jumped forward and grabbed onto his arm, and he looked at her.

"I'll help you!" She could feel it, a tiny remnant of Aquarius' power fluttering inside of her, and she thought of no better way to use it than here and now. He nodded to her, and she closed her eyes to summon the magic. _Aqua Metria! _The water magic swirled in Gray's palm where he was holding the ball. With a roar, he flung the steel ball at Silver with all his might, amplifying its acceleration with the armor-like ice and Lucy's water magic, which created a vortex behind the projectile to boost its force. It collided with Silver's middle, so fast that it blew a hole right through him, and he collapsed to the ground with blood already pooling around him. Gray instantly sagged, panting heavily and barely able to stand. Lucy wrapped an arm around his middle, trying not to think about the thick, hot blood leaking on her arm, and pulled him against her to support him.

"Well done… Gray…" Silver croaked weakly. Gray just snorted.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice? You're not Deloria… You're my father." Lucy narrowed her eyes, having been convinced, but Gray would know his father better than anyone.

"Finish me."

"Fuck off! You're my old man! What the hell are you even _doing _here?" Gray snapped back. There was a moment of silence.

"I was waiting to be killed by you…" Silver admitted quietly. "You're right… I was once your father, but I'm not human anymore… I'm not a demon, either. I'm a corpse. I've been dead for seventeen years. Man, what a long time…" Gray stiffened in Lucy's grasp. _He really is dead! But how…? _"A necromancer, who wields a curse that allows you to control the dead… I was collected by him as a corpse and used for his experiments. Its aim was to figure out how closely he could make the existence of a corpse resemble its former self. I was among several hundred of them, but I alone have lived this long. No, not really lived… More like _existed." _Lucy put a hand to her mouth. _How awful… _"And it was all for the sake of revenge against the demons that stole my family away from me. In this dark guild, I persevered, in secret, killing demons while I discovered them. That's why I did what I did in the Sun Village… Those flames were not of demonic origin after all. I continued to weaken the powers of the demons around me until I thought that I could take down Tartaros. But then… I learned that you were alive, Gray. At that moment I realized…" He shakily lifted up his hands to stare at them. "These hands of mine are too stained with blood. I have no right to fight for your sake or your mother's…" Gray stared at him in quiet disbelief, then hung his head again, trembling slightly.

"So that's why you were so hell-bent on dying?"

"I'm already dead, Gray. I just intended to erase this existence of mine. I leave everything to you," he grunted as he pulled himself into a sitting position, his expression dismally sad. Gray gritted his teeth and waved an arm angrily.

"You don't _get _to decided! And what's left for me, anyway?!" After his outburst, he seemed to realize something, and exhaled deeply, relaxing against Lucy.

"It's okay… You don't need to do anything. I said some pretty messed up things to you, and I did those awful things to that girl there… I apologize…" he murmured. Gray looked down, continuing to shake as he balled up his fists. _He's probably realizing… That Silver did all this so Gray could finally conquer his demons… And realize his true strengths… _"You're better off just forgetting about me. The man you knew… Died long ago."

"You're still my dad," Gray uttered quietly. A tear rolled down Silver's cheek.

"As if there'd ever be a father that hits his children and threatens their friends," he said through gritted teeth. Gray started to object, but Silver cut him off. "Enough… Quickly… Finish me." His head still hung and his shoulders hunched, a long, sharp sword formed in Gray's hands. Lucy stepped back, allowing him to stand on his own, because this was something the he and he alone needed to do.

"You want to be put to rest, huh?"

"Please… I want to see your mother again." Gray was silent, but she could see the emotions roiling inside him, from his taut posture and his trembling body and gritted teeth. "Don't hesitate! I had a hand in Operation Face! I killed those former council members! I raised a hand against the Celestial Mage, who is important to you! I am your enemy!" Gray walked forward, holding the sword above his head. Lucy could see the tip of it wavering precariously from his shaking hand.

"You may be my father by blood," he hissed. "But none of that matters to me, if you're an enemy of the guild! That's how we've always protected it!" At the end, Gray's voice broke, and the sword dropped slightly.

"Such is what it means to be human," Silver mused quietly.

"I… I just can't kill you!" Gray cried suddenly and dropped the sword, and though his back was to her, she knew he was crying from the way his shoulders were shaking. "Fuck… Fuck it all…" he sniffed and hung his head miserably.

"That, too, is what it means to be human," his father sighed with a rueful smile and tears leaking from his eyes. As Gray sniffled miserably, wiping at his eyes as he cried, Lucy debated whether she should comfort him; she decided that regardless of whether it was appropriate or not, she wanted to, and so she walked over to Gray's side and wrapped her hands around the upper muscle of his arm and squeezed slightly. Without saying anything, he collapsed into her, and despite her weakness she still found the strength to bear his weight. _Right now is when he __**really **__needs me. _He turned his head to press it into hers, their faces close enough for her to see the tears spilling from his lashes even though he was trying to cover them with his fingers. She glanced over at Silver as he pulled himself up and stumbled unsteadily over to Gray, and pulled him into a hug with his hand on the back of his head, and then did something she didn't expect- he wrapped his other arm around her shoulders and hugged her too. "My body won't hold out much longer…"

"Dad," Gray sniffed as he buried his face into his father's shoulders, but couldn't find the words he wanted to say, all the things he wanted to tell him. He didn't need to.

"I just want to hold you for a little while, if that's okay…" Gray dissolved into sobs, trying to muffle them with the fur around Silver's cape, but the full force of his emotions was spilling forth, having broken through the dam he had erected so long ago. Lucy continued to hold onto his arm, soothingly stroking her fingers up and down his bruised, bloody skin, silently letting him know that she was there for him. "You've grown into a fine man, Gray… My pride and joy."

_I'm glad, despite everything, that Gray will have the chance to say goodbye. _"Little girl…"

"My name is Lucy."

"Oh, yes. Lucy. I'm sorry for what I put you through," he smiled at her, but the guilt and remorse was clear in his expression. "I was acting selfish. I hope you won't hold it against me." Lucy shook her head, and was honest, too. Even if it wasn't the right way to do it, he was acting for Gray's benefit. She couldn't hate him for that. "Now, Gray… There's one more thing left. I am going to teach you the ice devil-slayer magic. E.N.D. is a flame demon." Lucy watched for a moment, but nothing in particular seemed to happen between them; yet, all of a sudden, Gray seemed to find his strength again and was able to stand without her support. _He must have transferred his magic to him. _She and Gray gasped as he began to glow brightly. "Ah… It seems the water girl managed to pull it off." _Juvia? _"Lucy… Take care of Gray," he told her, then looked at Gray. "I leave everything to you." With that, he faded into brilliant light that flickered out of existence as it ascended to the sky. Gray balled up his fists and hung his head again, so Lucy slid her hand down his arm to curl it around his, and he opened it up so their fingers could entwine.

"Dad… You can rest now," he murmured, and Lucy watched as dark bands appeared on Gray's lower arm, right above his wrist, three in a row. "As an ice devil slayer, I'm going to _crush _E.N.D." A moment of silence passed, and then Gray suddenly whipped around to envelop Lucy in a tight hug and bury his face into her hair, seemingly indifferent to how dirty and tangled it was. She could feel the tears leaking from his eyes and falling into the messy blonde strands and onto her shoulder, and as she wrapped her arms tightly around him, she could feel that he was trembling again. _I will be your strength. _

"It's okay, Gray," she murmured. "Thank you so much for taking care of me… I'm gonna take care of you now. Promise." _I promise you, Silver… I will watch over your son, whom you left this power and this will… _After a minute of crying, Gray managed to reign in his emotions and lifted his head to look down at her, tears still swimming in his dark eyes.

"Lucy… When I was about to use the Iced Shell…" A faint blush rose to her cheeks, because she already knew what he was about to ask. She could play it off, but… _I want to be honest about my feelings. _The feelings she never really knew she had, until this battle, where the both of them gained so much, found a strength they never knew they had.

"I was going to tell you… I love you… Gray." Instead of blushing and looking away, she met his gaze, so he could read the emotion and seriousness in her eyes. She wasn't sure for how long she had, or when it started; all she knew is that she knew it now, and she wasn't going to be silent. Even if he didn't feel the same way, she wanted him to know. "I'll be your strength when you can't find any… I'll be at your side, to support you when you fall… I'll take care of you, just like your father asked me to… Even if you don't lo-"

She couldn't finish, because at that instant he grabbed her by the face and kissed her with a fierce passion. It was Lucy who fell into him this time, as all the strength was sapped from her body, her breath being stolen away by the maelstrom swirling between Gray's mouth and her own. She felt everything in that kiss, his sadness and pain, his joy and relief, his love and his desire. Her hands found his shoulders; she had to anchor herself to him somehow, lest she be swept away by the storm of his lips moving in a fierce rhythm against hers. She started crying again. His emotions were hers, too; she experienced it all, writhing inside of her until they poured down her cheeks in those silent rivers of tears. As his hands found their way to her waist, one of hers had crept up the back of his neck to entangle her fingers into the dark strands of his hair, the sweat and blood coating her fingertips as she wound the soft fibers around them. They said so much in the silence, more than they could ever say with words. When their lips finally parted, Lucy felt like she had been found after being lost for an eternity, found in the way he was gazing down at her so softly and the way he was holding her body up against his.

"I'm gonna hold you to that promise- and I promise I'll take care of you, too. Now let's go finish kicking Tartaros' ass. We can't let Natsu have all the fun, can we?" Lucy smiled sweetly as she nodded firmly, and he pulled away from her, though he paused a moment to slip his hand into hers and entwine their fingers.

_I don't know what will happen from here… But I know we'll do it together. _


	5. When It Counts

Category: Friendship Fluff

Characters: Lucy Heartfilia

Requested by: Anonymous User

Lucy couldn't help but smile elatedly as she stepped off the train, stretching her arms above her head and working out the stiffness in her legs before exhaling deeply.

"Ahhhh~ We're finally home!" she exclaimed. All she got from Natsu and Wendy were a pair of identical labored groans, while Gray was indifferently staring off into space. Erza, at least, came up behind her to clap her in the back with an affirmative nod, but the woman's absurd strength caused Lucy to lose her balance and stumble forward with arms pin-wheeling. "_Ack! _Ow! That hurt, Erza…" she pouted as she looked over her shoulder at the red-haired warrior woman. Erza had already turned her attention on Natsu and Gray, who were bickering like usual, but a pair of whacks over their heads shut them right up. Lucy tried to ignore the burning between her shoulder blades as she absentmindedly picked up her bag and began walking toward the station exit; as she was, she accidentally walked to closely to someone and bumped them in the arm. "Oh, please exc- Huh?" There was no one there, at least not anyone close enough to have bumped into- only a man further down the line walking briskly toward the platform. "How odd…"

"I'm _hungry_!" Natsu suddenly roared so intensely that a small bit of fire burst from his mouth, catching the end of poor Wendy's pigtail on fire. She wailed in fright and ran around in circles with tears streaming down her cheeks until Gray caught the flaming hair between his hands and instantly quelled the small fire with his ice magic, leaving the wind dragon-slayer whimpering and lamenting the burned ends of her pretty, dark hair.

"Cut it out! You're making a racket!" the ice wizard scolded Natsu, who puffed out his cheeks defiantly.

"Nuh-uh! _You're _making a racket, so shut the hell up!"

"You tell him, Natsu!" Happy quipped thinking he was being supportive. Charlie rolled her eyes and shook her head at the hopelessly optimistic cat. Gray and Natsu began bickering again, pressing their foreheads together as they ground their teeth, until Erza once again knocked them upside their seemingly empty heads.

"_Both_ of you are making a racket and can shut the hell up!"

"Sorry, Erza," they chimed begrudgingly in sync as they placed a large amount of distance between themselves and the woman, and rubbed the growing lumps on their heads.

"Now, then, I suppose we are all hungry and should therefore find someplace to eat," Erza smiled magnanimously and put her hands on her hips, now that her scolding was finished.

"Oh! I know! Let's eat at Lucy's house!" Happy offered, and before Lucy could argue, they all chimed in agreement that Lucy's home cooking was exactly what they needed. Lucy remained in the station with her head hung and her mood somber as they strutted off to break into her house while she ran to the store to buy enough food to satiate the overpowered mages- all by their decision, of course. _Oh, man… There goes all my reward money, _she lamented miserably and began shuffling off towards the market district, practically watching the money fly right out of her pockets.

It was a short walk to the local grocery store, and like the train station the streets were quite empty. Normally it didn't bother Lucy, but for some reason during that evening in particular, she was feeling watched; all throughout her walk and her shopping she glanced over her shoulder, expecting to see someone standing behind her, but just like at the train station she was greeted with only empty air. As she walked down the road alongside the harbor towards her home, carrying two shopping bags full of food for the waiting mages, she could not keep the shivers from traveling up her spine.

_What's wrong with me? Why am I so paranoid right now? _Their mission hadn't even been particularly dangerous or involved renegade guilds, so it wasn't like she was expecting to be targeted for any reason. Biting down on her lip nervously, she again cast a glance over her shoulder towards the end of the street expecting to again be met with only shadows; except, this time she wasn't. There _was _someone behind her- and not far behind her, either. Lucy screamed in fright as a cloak-clad man seemingly emerged from the night to grab her by her arms, and she dropped the grocery bags and sent various meats and vegetables scattering into the street. Before she could scream again, another pair of individuals, apparently his comrades, sprang from an alley to subdue her, one of them pressing a rag over her mouth to silence her screams. A sickly-sweet smell wafted up her nose, one she supposed to be that of a sedative, and she tried her hardest to resist breathing in the fumes. However, with her struggling movements and agitated state, her breathing rate was far higher than normal, and she could not break free of their grasps long enough to escape the noxious odors. Over several minutes, Lucy's jerky movements transitioned into weak, languid ones, and her mind muddled as her vision began to fog up as she suffocated under the liquid-soaked rag. The last thing she could remember thinking of was that she wasn't going to make it to dinner, before it all faded into darkness.

Lucy's transition into consciousness was slow. Her eyelashes fluttered as her vision refocused in the dark, gloomy atmosphere around her. Gradually, her body stopped feeling numb and her senses returned, and she found with alarm that her arms were tied above her head and her precious Celestial keys were not hanging at her waist. Even worse, she realized that her clothes had been changed; her typical attire had been replaced with a very revealing outfit, a band around her bust and a slitted skirt decorated with plastic jewels and dangling decorations. Her shoes were gone, too, replaced with a pair of gold ankle bracelets, and glittering jewel earrings hung from her ears. It was oddly reminiscent of the attire she had worn during their operation concerning the Dragon Cry, when she had danced in a bar. Her face instantly flushed like Natsu's fiery breath when she came to the conclusion that _someone _had changed her clothes. As she looked around wildly, rapidly descending into a mixture of fury and fear, she found that presumed someone sitting in a chair at the other end of the room. He was shrouded in the gloom. Lucy instantly shut her eyes when he reached up to flip on the lights, blinded by its intensity, until they adjusted enough for her to crack one open and glare at him.

"I'm so glad you're awake."

"Who are you, you creep? What have you done with my keys?" she demanded, her anger taking over for a moment. She gritted her teeth as he swung them nonchalantly around his fingers, their jingling filling the small, plain room. "Stop that! They're not a musical instrument, you know!" He just laughed and caught them in his hand, tucking them into his pocket before standing up. He was a handsome man; Lucy could even see that in her dire situation, with luscious brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and chiseled features, dressed in a suit. _Well, a handsome creep is still a creep! _"Where's your two lackeys?"

"Oh, they're nothing to worry about. Their job was finished, so I sent them on their way," he answered vaguely.

"Who are you? What do you want from me? Are you a part of a dark guild? I'm warning you, Fairy Tail won't take this lightly!"

"Oh, no. I'm not associated with any guild, and Fairy Tail means nothing to me." As he said that, he vanished from Lucy's sight, and she recoiled in bewilderment as she looked around the now empty room. _What? Where did he go? _She gasped as he abruptly appeared right before her eyes, lighting putting a finger beneath her chin. "I'm still a mage, though. I get offers all the time, as you can imagine; invisibility magic is highly useful for things like assassinations and kidnappings. I did mess up at the train station, though. I was just so flustered by you touching me like that." Lucy's red face instantly paled to the color of snow, not ignorant to the insinuations behind his remark. She swallowed slightly, trying to keep her composure. Showing weakness in front of him would mean he had already won.

"Some mage you are, then. If you're not with a dark guild and aren't after Fairy Tail, then what _do _you want?" She wasn't even sure why she asked the question, because she just knew she wouldn't like the answer. He chuckled softly, and under normal circumstances, she might have thought that he had a very nice laugh.

"Oh, Lucy, dear, isn't it obvious? I want _you_." Though she was beginning to panic on the inside, lacking her keys and no idea where she was or if her friends were going to be able to find her, she remained composed enough to glare acidly up at him. "Oh, my. What an ugly expression on such a pretty face," he tutted and patted her cheek. When she whipped her head in an attempt to bite him, he hastily pulled back his hand and laughed heartily. "Such a spirited one!"

"Take these ropes off me and I'll show you how spirited I am, mister."

"I think not," he mused and vanished again, only to reappear across the room. She narrowed her eyes as he pulled out her keys again, and then they widened as he gripped Leo's key tightly between his two hands, in the position to snap it right in half. "Oh, yes, you realize what a position you're in now, don't you? You keep acting like that, and I'll have to punish you." Losing one of her keys, especially Loki, with whom she had been through so much, was more than she could bear, and her tough person instantly shattered.

"No! Please! I'll do whatever you want! Don't break my keys!" Loki had the ability to make his own gate, so she expected him to appear in that moment, but he didn't. Tears stung her eyes as she strained against the ropes tied around her wrists. "I'm _begging _you!"

"That's more like it," he smirked at her, but relaxed his grip on the key a little. "Your little Celestial friends can't save you. I have a special spell in place that suppresses Celestial power, so that's why your little lion friend can't come through the gate." _How the hell did he know about that? _"I know a lot about you, Lucy." She recoiled, pressing back against the wall. It was almost like he read her mind, though it was probably just that her face was showing all her emotions right now. "I'm so in love with you, you see, that I just have to know _everything _about you."

"I've never even met you!" she growled. There was more tremor in her voice than she would have liked.

"I saw you dance in Stella." _What? __**That's **__what this is all about? This creep wants to see me belly-dance again? _she thought incredulously. As she debated struggling, her eyes landed on Leo's key clutched in his hands, and all thoughts of defiance vanished completely. Her shoulders sagged as she hung her head, not wanting him to see her bottom lip wobbling as the tears flooded her eyes. _What do I do? This situation is hopeless… Even if he takes the ropes off, I can't risk him breaking the key… I can't lose another one of them again… _Losing Aquarius nearly broke her; she couldn't imagine having to part with another one of her spirits. _My only hope… Is Natsu and the others… _Surely, they had realized that something had happened when she hadn't turned up, and Natsu and Wendy's acute senses of smell would hopefully lead them to her. However, she had no idea how long she had been unconscious or how far away from home she was. She raised her head miserably, wearied by the hopelessness of it all.

"What do you want?" she asked again, feebly, fearfully.

"I just want to see you dance again, my dear Lucy." _I can't fight him, not when he's holding my keys hostage. I just have to do what he says, and hope they're coming for me… _She nodded obediently, and he procured a small dagger to walk over and slice the ropes around her wrists. While her arms dropped and she rubbed the red, scraped areas of her wrists where the ropes had chafed her, he plopped down in the chair again with a darkly eager expression, the golden key still trapped in his fingers as a reminder for her to stay docile. She had no music, but Lucy still fell into the dancing pose anyway; thankfully, it hadn't been that long since Stella, and she remembered the steps.

The plastic jewels and gold, dangling accents on her outfit jingled faintly as she glided in her bare feet across the dirty brick floor, and she felt sickened, reminded of the way he so carelessly jangled her beloved keys. She fought the nausea, sensually moving around the small room, moving her arms here and swinging her arms there, with the occasional seductive swish of her hips or dramatic toss of her head. All the while, she could feel his eyes boring into her and exploring every part of her body. It made her even more sick to her stomach, and she tried to keep the expression of acute disgust from forming on her face, for fear of retaliation against her spirits. _Just focus on what you're doing, Lucy. _"Won't you come a bit closer?" Lucy's step faltered, and her arms hung in the air for a brief moment as her heart rate skyrocketed. She didn't want to go anywhere near him. He smiled thinly, tapping his finger against the end of the key, and so she smiled serenely back at him before dancing across the room to stand in front of him. Now, she danced slowly in a circle around the chair, and was even more aware of his pervasive staring. As she came around the side of him, his arm shot out to encircle her bare waist and stop her in her tracks. "Magnificent. You dance like the stars are at your feet, Lucy." As he pulled her closer to the chair, the key shifting in his hand in such a way that the low light flashed across its golden surface, Lucy's anxiety threatened to boil over. _Oh my God, what is he going to do to me? _He must have felt her fear mounting, because he reached around with his other hand to hold the key in a breaking position again, leaving Lucy trapped in the circle that was his arms. "Careful, now." His voice was breathy, full of threat and desire. "Come, Lucy. Show me what it's like to be among the stars."

That's when Natsu came crashing through the brick wall.

"I'll show you the stars, asshole!" he howled as he drop-kicked Lucy's aggressor in the side of the head. As he lost his grip on the keys and they went sailing through the air, jingling wildly, Lucy jumped up to catch them. As her hand wrapped around Leo's key, she could feel the power humming within it, and it began to glow. Without her even reciting the invocation, Loki appeared in front of her, his hands in his suit pants pockets and a vicious scowl on his face. Apparently Natsu landing such a blow on the man had deactivated his preventative magic.

"I'm gonna kick your ass for touching Lucy like that, you scumbag!" he shouted, then shot a grin at her. "By the way, you look lovely~" Hearts were practically beating in his eyes.

"Who cares? Get to kicking his ass already!" she demanded angrily and pointed at the creep, who was picking himself up out of the rubble of the other wall, which Natsu had sent him crashing through. As he struggled to get to his feet, Gray appeared through the dust and jerked him up by the back of his jacket.

"You messed with the _wrong _people," he frowned.

"How are you _already_ shirtless?!" Lucy cried and face-palmed, while Gray cried out in shock and looked down at himself. With the momentary distraction, his captive was able to use his vanishing magic.

"What the hell? Where did he go?" Gray cried as his jacket appeared in his hands. Apparently, the magic only pertained to things directly touching him.

"He uses invisibility magic!" she answered, and Loki stepped back to shield her with his arm, anticipating that he would target her first. Wendy had also clambered over the half-collapsed wall to run to her side, and stood behind her with her arms spread on either side of her to likewise shield Lucy with her body. She wrinkled her nose and narrowed her eyes.

"Natsu-!"

"Yeah, I know! Vanish all you like, asshole, I can still _smell _you!" With that exclamation, Natsu sprang at thin air, but rather than land on the ground he remained hanging in the air with his arms and legs wrapped around what she figured must be the mage, cloaked in his invisibility. After a second, he dropped the spell and angrily tugged at Natsu, who was clinging to him like some sort of monkey on his back.

"Get off me!" he demanded, and managed to grab ahold of the back of Natsu's shirt and fling him into the wall. Natsu's curses were buried under the pile of bricks that came crashing down on top of him. However, this provided enough time for Erza to step onto the scene.

"That's quite enough, you villain!" Though she whacked him over the back of his head with the blunt side of her sword, Lucy still knew that there was enough power behind the attack to be immensely effective- and painful. He crumpled like a rag doll at the knight's feet, moaning in pain even though he was completely unconscious. "There. That takes care of that." As she primly put her hands on her hips, Natsu's head popped out of the rubble, coated in brick dust.

"No fair! I wanted to sock him!" he whined loudly.

"That's beside the point, Natsu!" Wendy cried and whipped around to face Lucy. "Are you okay, Lucy? Did he hurt you?"

"No," she shook her head, but her expression was sad as she held her keys against her chest. "I couldn't do anything… He held my keys hostage…" Lucy was just now beginning to realize how completely powerless she had been. _I relied completely on these guys to come save me… After all this time and everything that's happened, I still depend on them so much… _Tears crept back into her eyes and flowed down her cheeks.

"Eh? Natsu, you made her cry!" Gray accused.

"What? How? Why? What did I say?" he stammered quickly in confusion and wriggled out of the pile of rubble to scramble over to her and grab her hands, bringing his face close as he looked down at her with a serious expression. "Don't cry, Lucy! I didn't mean it!... Whatever I said," he said as his expression morphed into a perplexed frown.

"No, it's not that… It's just how powerless I was," she sighed, shoulders sagging. "I should have put up a better fight."

"Nah, you did your best!" he grinned brightly at her, making her look up with wide eyes. "It's okay! Sometimes you just can't win, and that's what we're here for, right guys?"

"That's right! We'll always come for you when you need help! Isn't that right, Charlie?" Wendy giggled, her pigtails swishing as she looked to her beloved partner for agreement. The pretty flying cat nodded in agreement, to which Happy chirped, "Aye!"

"Yeah. We know how important your keys are to you. It was a jerk move, playing like he was going to break them like that," Gray agreed, then looked at Loki. "Also, thanks for your help- oh, wait, you didn't _do _anything."

"Shut up! I came to my lovely Lucy's aid!" Loki pouted while wrapping an arm around her shoulders, which made her sigh deeply and sag her shoulders out of weariness, not in the mood to deal with his flirtatiousness.

"Thanks, Loki, but you can go home now."

"Aw, Lucy! You're so cold!" he whined but obediently let her go. He then flashed her a wink. "If it hadn't been for that magic barrier, I would've been here in an instant! I'll always protect you, Lucy, no matter what!" he snickered before returning through his gate. It did bring a smile to Lucy's face.

"Yes. We are all here to support you when you need it," Erza nodded, but it was hard to take her seriously when she was sadistically stepping on the unconscious man's back, making him continuously squeak in pain. Lucy chuckled and shook her head at the antics of the dysfunctional but fun group. In their weird way, they did make her feel better.

"Thank you, everyone." _It's okay to rely on them sometimes. After all, there are times that they'll have to rely on my power, too. That's what friends do._

"By the way, are you still making dinner?" Natsu asked hopefully. Lucy's mood did a one-eighty.

"This time _you'll _be the one seeing stars, Natsu!"

Lucy had found the most destructive, crazy, dysfunctional, altogether outrageous family ever- but no matter how much they got on her nerves (particularly a certain pink-haired dragon-slayer) and how much they bickered, she knew they would always come together to protect each other when it counted. Lucy was proud to be a part of it, and couldn't think of a better family to be a part of.


	6. Keep Me Warm

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia

This prompt was taken from the prompt blog on Tumblr, hellsdemonictrinity! Please check them out!

_Thump. Thump. Clang! Thump, thump, thump. Crash! _"Dammit!"

Lucy groaned loudly as the ambient noises echoing through her small apartment dragged her unwillingly into consciousness. Not quite willing to relinquish the peaceful embrace of sleep, she yanked her comforter over her head and snuggled into her pillow in an attempt to return once more to its arms. _Bang! Clatter! _With an irritated growl, she flung back over and grabbed her alarm clock, peering in the gloom as her eyes struggled to adjust to its glaring neon numbers. _2:36 in the morning? What the hell is all this noise?! _She fumed silently. Lucy had just returned from a rather perilous mission with Natsu- when were they not perilous when he was involved- from the mountains. The exhausting aspect aside, Lucy was fairly certain that she was coming down with a cold from the adventure and was hence trying to sleep as much as possible to stave off falling ill. She crunched her alarm clock in her hand before slamming it back down on her bedside table, her mood soured by the assault on her attempt to stay healthy.

She was still too groggy to recognize that the sounds were coming from within her own home rather than out in the street, so that is why her first instinct was to climb out of bed and march over to her window. She angrily threw it open, recoiling for a moment as the cold, harsh night wind blasted into her room. She was only dressed in a tank top and a pair of short-shorts, and she tried to ignore the icy breeze as it danced over her bare skin with eager fingers while she leaned out of the window to glare down at the cobblestone streets, attempting to find the perpetrator and give them a proper scolding.

"Huh? There's no one there," she mumbled and blearily rubbed her eyes. The pale moonlight shining down upon the street revealed nothing but shadows and a skinny cat skulking along the wall that overlooked the bay. In her sleepy delirium, Lucy paused a moment to admire the way the white light scattered across the shifting surface of the ocean, looking like diamonds sparkling in a field of blue flowers. "Pretty…"

_Craaaaaash! _"Owwwwww, ow, ow, ow, _owwww_!"

Lucy leaped nearly a foot in the air as the resounding clamor blasted through her apartment, and all traces of sleepiness immediately left her when she came upon the frightening realization that someone was in her house- a clumsy someone, but a someone nonetheless. Too concerned with her own safety to bother with appearances, she snatched her Celestial Keys off her nightstand and opened her bedroom door to peer out suspiciously into the night. Light glowed softly at the end of the hall in the direction of her kitchen, and she could hear hushed voices floating down the hallway, though she could not make out who they were or what they were saying. She held her keys tightly in her hands to keep them from jingling as she crept through the shadows, drawing closer to the intruders apparently raiding her refrigerator. She hid behind the ajar kitchen door to eavesdrop.

"Ooh! Chocolate chips! Whadaya think, buddy?"

"Nah! I want peanut butter."

"_What? _Peanut butter sucks! How could you say that?"

"How could _you _say _that? _… Why don't we do both so we're both happy?"

"Ah! Great idea! You're a genius, Happy!"

Lucy's shoulders hunched up to her ears upon realizing just who had snuck into her house in the middle of the night. _Of course. I should have known. __**Of course **__it would be those two knuckleheads! _She thought bitterly as she stepped out from behind the door and into the threshold to gaze upon the disaster they had created. Lucy's pots and pans had been dragged out of her cabinets, and presumably since they were located on the bottom shelves near the floor, Natsu had bumped his head on the jutting countertop trying to claim them, judging from the goose egg sticking out of his wild pink hair. Similarly they had raided her pantry and fridge for things like flour, sugar, eggs, milk, and the like, all of which were emptied of their contents and scattered across the kitchen, both their containers and the substances themselves. Natsu and Happy had apparently had particular fun making footprints and handprints all over the place with the flour before returning to their task at hand, which Lucy had deemed to be making cookies.

"Wanna tell me what you're doing in my kitchen at three in the morning?"

As Lucy spoke up from her spot in the doorway, it was the boys' turn to jump a foot in the air. As Natsu whipped around, spastically stirring a bowl of cookie dough, he grinned sheepishly at her.

"Oh, hey, Lucy. We wanted cookies, but we didn't have the stuff to make it at home, so we came here~ Ya want some?" A pained groan slipped out of her mouth and she shook her head wearily while she face-palmed. There wasn't going to be any explaining to them that it was socially improper to break into someone's house in the middle of the night because they wanted to bake cookies for whatever reason, so she resigned herself to the fact that they were going to be hanging out in her house for the next hour, if not sleeping there because they were going to be too full to go home. When Lucy looked up, Natsu had somehow silently closed the distance between them, and she went bright red at his close proximity. "Hey, aren't you cold, wearing so little?" He nonchalantly took the spatula out of the mix and licked the cookie dough off of it while staring into her eyes, which just made her flush darker.

"I was sleeping! Gah! Don't look!" She wailed, having suddenly realized how provocatively she was dressed- more than usual, anyway- and turned around to fold her arms over her bust. It didn't help that she had left the bedroom window open, and the night air was rapidly spreading through the apartment, making her shiver slightly. _I'm cold __**now, **__because you mentioned it… _Everywhere but her face, at least. She twitched as Natsu leaned over her shoulder.

"Hey, your face is really red. You're not running a fever, are you? You said something about getting a cold in the mountains, right?" Lucy shook her head emphatically and stepped away from him, blushing further. Normally his lack of personal space didn't bother her, but perhaps since she was still so tired, her mind just couldn't process it like it normally could. As she did step to the side, though, Lucy suddenly had the bizarre sensation that she was falling, and her vision blurred before her eyes. _What? _She thought weakly. Her mind was falling too, into a trancelike state where she couldn't process anything but the rushing of wind, though she wasn't sure if that was in her head or in the apartment. Instinctively, her hands groped for something to steady her fall, and one of them found the solid muscle of Natsu's upper arm. Just grateful to have something to anchor her to reality rather than plummet into the chasm that had formed into her mind, the rest of her body followed suit and she fell against the dragon-slayer. As she came out of the strange spell, she found that she was panting heavily and was shivering. "Hey! Lucy! Are you okay?" Natsu asked her worriedly. He was holding the bowl of cookie dough above his head, because she had nearly knocked it free, but his other arm was wrapped securely around her waist. Lucy could have lied, but she was too tired to.

"No… Natsu… I don't feel good…" Somehow a switch had flipped in her, and all her energy had dissipated in that very moment. It was hard for her to even stand, she was so weak, and so she just clung to Natsu for support. She was also too tired to care about what a compromising and embarrassing situation she had landed in, and the warmth radiating from his body was oddly comforting. _It feels so nice, _she thought absently as she pressed her cheek against his chest, her eyes fluttering as she struggled to keep them open. She felt like she could fall asleep right there.

"Lucy! You're really pale now!" Happy cried while clambering up onto her kitchen table to stand next to Natsu. He put a little blue paw against her forehead, the recoiled with a yelp. "Yowch! Lucy, you're running a _really_ high fever!"

"Here, Happy, hold this," Natsu ordered and unceremoniously dropped the bowl onto Happy, who caught it with all his weight by essentially being trapped beneath it. His little limbs and tail flung about as he struggled to get out from beneath it, while Natsu, too concerned with Lucy to notice, put his hand under her chin to tilt her head up and pressed his forehead against hers. Even in her confusion, she did have the wherewithal to blush then, and she had to wonder how much that heat would contribute to the fever. "Mhmm. Lucy, you're really sick," Natsu confirmed. As he pulled away, Lucy had to fight the urge to pull him back, because something about that closeness was so important to her right then. That moment was ruined when she abruptly sneezed.

"Aw, Lucy, your sneeze is so cute!" Happy laughed as he popped up from behind the bowl, having finally made his harrowing escape. "Do it again!"

"Happy, I-" Though she wasn't, her body was more than willing to acquiesce to his request, and she covered her face as she sneezed again, this time a few times in a row. When her body settled, she was left feeling weaker than before, and her nose and face uncomfortably clogged. "Ugh…"

"All right, all right, enough of that," Natsu scolded Happy, who flattened his ears to his head with a sheepish grin. "Lucy needs to rest." _I __**was **__resting until you so rudely interrupted me, _she thought, but she strangely wasn't so bitter about it. Somehow Natsu being there was comforting. Still, she had to get back into bed, so she begrudgingly pried herself off of him and attempted to walk down the hall back towards her room. That was a spectacular choice on her part that resulted in her flopping roughly against the wall and smacking her head on it so forcefully that a few of the pictures hung there shook.

"Ow…"

"Lucy!" Natsu was at her side in an instant, catching her under her arms as she slumped backwards; it was like he was magnetic, attracting her frail body back to him though she tried to separate herself. "Don't push yourself." She was about to utter some stubborn remark and reattempt the endeavor, but her words and her will suddenly vanished as Natsu easily scooped her up into his arms. The heat of embarrassment joined that of the fever in her face, and she hurriedly buried it into his shoulder so that he wouldn't see, though he would likely assume the redness was a result of her ailment, anyway. She wasn't sure why she was so flustered, anyway. She had ended up in a lot of compromising situations with him across their adventures, and being carried around like a princess was certainly on the lower end of the scale. _So why is my heart beating so fast? _Butterflies began to flutter in her stomach in tune with her elevated heartbeat, leaving Lucy in a twisted symphony of anxiety.

"Natsu, you can put me down…" she protested weakly. Natsu, of course, adamantly shook his head while marching down the hallway. With a resigned sigh, she just curled up in his arms, admittedly lulled by that ever-present fiery heat of his and the rhythm of his heartbeat. It wasn't beating wildly like Lucy's, but soft and slow, strangely meshing with her own frantic melody. "I'm sorry…"

"What're you apologizing for? I'm the one who broke into your house and made you wake up while you were sick." _So he admits it, _she thought wryly. He nudged her bedroom door open with his toe and carried her into the room, then shifted her so he could support her with one arm while he threw back the bedsheets. Lucy found that positively breathtaking for some reason, that he could hold her with one arm like that so effortlessly, but that thought soon passed into embarrassment. _Ugh, what's wrong with me? Natsu can beat up dragons; of course he can hold me in one arm. Half the guys at the guild could! _But the fact that Natsu could and Natsu _was _made the fire on her cheeks burn all the brighter.

"I don't know. I'm not used to being catered to like this, I guess," she sighed as he gently set her down on the bed. She looked up at him bashfully- if she had been cute, her body ruined it with an ugly, congested sniffle- and squirmed slightly on the mattress in quiet discomfort. Natsu was her friend, so of course he would want to take care of her while she was sick. She just didn't know why the whole situation was driving her so crazy. _It's just Natsu! Normal, everyday, brave, strong, handsome Natsu… Wait. _She put her hands on her face, trying to hide the expression of acute mortification on her face, but Natsu just thought she was trying to warm her face up.

"Here, Lucy, lemme do it." She squeaked in alarm as he pried her fingers away from her face and squatted down to lay the backs of his hands against her cheeks. It _did _feel crazy good; as the warmth chased away the ice in her skin, she slumped slightly in relief. Her face shone with a thin sheen of sweat, but if he was bothered by it, he didn't show it. He just stared into Lucy's face with this oddly serious expression, his eyes searching hers for something, and though she didn't know what he was looking for she didn't want him to find what was hidden in the depths of those pools, and she dropped her gaze, unable to continue to meet his. Not to mention the gloom and moonlight were playing all kinds of tricks on her eyes, casting his fluffy hair in silver in such a way that she wanted to run her fingers through it, defining his muscles more sharply to where she could hardly look away, and his _face- _"Lucy, it's okay. I don't mind taking care of you at all!" She betrayed herself by looking up at him, and he was the same as ever, giving her a big, cheeky smile, the one that made his eyes scrunch up. Whatever had been there before had disappeared. _It's just my Natsu…_

When had "just Natsu" become "_her_ Natsu"? It was too much for her to think about right then, so she abandoned herself to whatever had come over her and sank into the comfort that Natsu was.

"Okay… I guess it's a good thing you broke into my house," she chuckled weakly before falling back against the pillow. As he pulled the blanket back over her, she was reminded of how chilly she was, and as she shivered violently, she tried to cocoon herself in the sheet and comforter. As Natsu walked over to the window to close it, she stared at his back, a question hanging on her tongue. It jumped out before she could even decide whether she should ask it or not. "You'll stay with me all night, right?"

"Of course!" That was her Natsu, without a second thought. His scarf fluttered as he whirled about and trotted over to sit on the edge of her bed, cross-legged and framed by the white moonlight. "I'm not leaving until you're better." Lucy's heart swelled, with happiness and something else too, something she couldn't identify- or was afraid of identifying. Not caring anymore about the riddle that was happening in her head, and desperate to chase away the chill that was seeping into her bones, she scooched a little closer to him in the hopes of basking herself in his warmth. She was shaking so hard now that the bed trembled along with her, and her teeth were slightly clattering together. _I'm so cold… _She squeezed her eyes shut as she buried herself further in the blankets, trying to conserve what little warmth she had. She knew she must have felt hot on the surface, because sweat was pouring off her so profusely that it puddled around her hair on the pillow, but it was like the drops of moisture were stealing all her heat. She felt Natsu get up, and go rifling around in her hallway closet for a few minutes, before she heard his soft footsteps coming back in and felt him draping another thick blanket over her. "Better?"

She wanted it to be, but no matter how many layers of blankets there were, it didn't stop the warmth from leaking out of her body. It felt like she was freezing to death. The tremors wracking her body had actually increased in ferocity, and she couldn't speak because her teeth were clattering together so hard, she thought they might break, and her breath was shaking, too. She slipped back into delirium again, this time her mind a slave to the cold. It felt like her brain was freezing, too, crystallized on one thought. _Natsu… I want Natsu… Natsu's warmth… _Despite her shivering she managed to slip an arm out of her fluffy cocoon and groped around in the dark for him, though she couldn't see him. Even her vision was filled with snowflakes, dancing in the dark and clouding her eyes like a blizzard. Suddenly she became overwhelmingly terrified that he had left.

"N-N-nat-s-su… Wh-where a-a-are y-y-you?" The words were next to impossible to get out, but she was _desperate _for him, _her _Natsu, who was always there when she needed him. Even if she wanted to think about how she felt about him then, she couldn't, as her mind fell deeper into the icy hurricane. _Natsu…! _

"I'm here, Lucy."

At once, the blizzard ceased, and Lucy felt the soothing sensation of warmth flooding back into her body. She gasped slightly as she felt something soft slipping around her neck, wqamring her further. She raised her hand to slip her rapidly thawing fingers into the fabric; it felt odd, woven of scales but yet undeniably soft and comforting. _Natsu's scarf… _It was quite too big for her, and was wrapped several times around her neck and covering her mouth. It smelled like Natsu, too, and as his scent wafted up her nose she felt all kinds of things, comfort and embarrassment and happiness and all things between. She felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes, so overwhelmed that he would give her his most prized and precious possession, even if only temporarily. Her eyes fluttered open, a gratuitous remark on her tongue, but it jumped back down her throat when she realized that Natsu had crawled into the bed and was currently holding her tightly within his arms. "Natsu…"

"You did this for me once, didn't you?" That's right, she had, during the decisive battle with Zeref. Natsu had been so deathly cold, and she had been so frightened that he would die. Her cheeks flushed as he smiled brightly down at her. "I figured the least I could do was return the favor. Are you better now, Lucy?" Lucy was mildly distraught to be in such a situation, wrapped up in Natsu's embrace, but he was viewing the entire thing in that innocent way of his, and besides, she sure as hell wasn't going to go back to freezing like that.

"Mhmm. Thank you," she sighed quietly and, admittedly wishing for more of his body heat to warm her, pressed herself a little closer to him and laid her head in the crook of his neck. Perhaps she imagined it, but she felt like Natsu stiffened up a little then. She felt his hand twitch, and then slowly slide his fingers to the back of her head to gently caress the tangled, blonde tresses. Silence descended, and the soft rhythm of Natsu's breathing and the gentle comfort of his warmth and the repeated touch of his fingertips through her hair soon lulled Lucy back into a drowsy state. As her eyelids were drooping and her consciousness once more fading, he spoke up.

"Hey, Lucy?"

"Hmm?" He squirmed uncomfortably, and once Lucy realized that he seemed to be struggling with what he was going to say, she propped herself up so that she could look down at him. It was hard to tell with the way the moonlight was spilling across his face, but she thought she could see a pink haze across his cheeks; he was avoiding eye contact, too, looking off to the side with an uncomfortable curl to his mouth. "Natsu?" Her eyes widened as his arm tightened around her.

"Can I… hold you like this… even when you aren't sick?" The question threw Lucy for a loop, and all she could do was stare dumbly down at him with her mouth hanging open. No, it couldn't possibly be. Natsu? No, their relationship wasn't like that… But yet, she thought of him as _her _Natsu, so really, was it so impossible that he thought of her as _his _Lucy? She tensed when his gaze flicked back to meet hers finally, and Lucy saw a fire burning there, but it wasn't like the fire he normally had. It was soft, smoldering, and yet held more intensity than the burning flames that appeared in his highly emotional, battle-ready state. The flames jumped up as his hand untangled from her hair and slipped down to cup her cheek. "Heh… Your face is warm now," he joked quietly, but he didn't lose that oddly intense expression that was making Lucy's heart beat like a war drum. Locked in his gaze, prisoner to that burning fire, possibly insane from her present illness, Lucy realized the undeniable truth then.

She loved Natsu.

Natsu loved her.

She found her words.

"Yes, Natsu." They came out a whisper, shy but not hesitant. He finally smiled, that crooked, boyish smile that she loved so much. When he pulled her against him, like he wanted every inch of them to touch, she found that this time his heart was beating in a wild melody, too. His hand slid to the back of her head against, holding her gently as his eyes searched her face for a moment. This time Lucy was not afraid of what he might find.

"I love you, Lucy."

"I love you too, Natsu," she answered, and the sheer joy that filled her when she uttered those words was unlike anything she had ever felt. It was like she had been holding it in, desperately building a wall to contain feelings she was afraid of having, and now they had broken free to spill freely through her. Natsu smiled brightly at her again, and then he leaned forward to gently kiss her, softly but with an incredible amount of feeling. Once again Lucy felt warmth burst inside of her, this time from the unmistakable fire of love burning deep inside her heart and soul.

She was his Lucy and he was her Natsu, and nothing could ever come between them.

Except Happy, apparently.

"The cookies are doooooone~!" They sprang apart as the little cat hopped up onto the bed precariously balancing a tray of freshly baked cookies over his head. He wobbled back and forth as he tottered over the thick comforters to plop down on Lucy's side, his little tail waving in glee. "Oh, Lucy! You look so much better! Want a cookie?" he asked and set the tray down to pick one up in his little paw and hold it out to her. Lucy couldn't be mad, and was actually grateful he seemed oblivious to how intimate she and Natsu were just being, so she took the cookie with a small laugh.

"Thanks, Happy." She took a bite of the cookie, then nearly choked on it when the cat inquired why they were in bed together.

"I was warming her up, Happy! Just like that time she did me, remember?" Natsu grinned and hugged her tightly, rubbing his cheek against hers. Lucy was too busy on the border of fainting from sheer mortification to pay much notice.

"Oh! I see! I wanna warm Lucy up too!" Happy laughed and plopped the cookies on the nightstand before forcing Lucy to lay back against the pillow and curling up against Lucy's neck. "Is it working?" Red-faced, Lucy sighed deeply but reached up to pat his head affectionately.

"Yes, thank you, Happy." The winged cat gave a joyful trill before snuggling deeper into his bed, which now consisted of Lucy's hair. It took him all of a minute to begin snoring. _Little furball, _she thought, but with no shortage of affection. She looked down when she felt Natsu bury his face into her other shoulder, his mess of pink hair lost among her own blonde strands. "Hey!"

"What? If he gets to do it, why don't I? By the way, you smell good. What kind of shampoo is this?" Lucy groaned loudly, but allowed it. She smiled as she felt Natsu smiling against her neck, and his arms wound themselves tightly around her middle; how could she not be happy, with the way things had developed? Natsu mumbled some form of "goodnight" before he drifted off too, and every soft breeze of his breath against her neck sent little tingles across her skin. Warmed from head to toe, embraced by the man she loved, and elated to even have little Happy peacefully curled up beside her head, Lucy closed her eyes with a tranquil and relieved smile.

_Like this… You could keep me warm forever, you know. _

"Goodnight… my Natsu."


	7. Heartbeat

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Gray Fullbuster and Lucy Heartfilia

Requested By: Anonymous User

"Lucy, are you all right?"

Lucy was brought out of her melancholy contemplation at the sound of Gray's voice, and she quickly raised a hand to dry the tears still leaking from her eyes. They were currently sitting side-by-side on a bench in the deserted streets of Magnolia. Lucy clutched the book of E.N.D. tightly in her quivering, bruised and scratched arms as she looked up at him.

"Yes, thank you." A silence fell between them, and then she tentatively asked, "You're not going to try and destroy the book again, right, Gray?" As if he had already answered negatively, she pulled the book closer to her chest and turned her body away from him, as if she could shield Natsu like that. A shocked- and uncomfortably hurt- expression form on Gray's face and she immediately regretted acting in such a way.

"Of course not! If I'd have known it would've done anything to Natsu, I wouldn't have tried in the first place!" _Good… He's cooled down, then. _Lucy's eyes flickered down to his right arm, currently swathed in bandages, and remembered the writhing, swirling bands of demon-slayer magic that he had obtained from his father Silver- the magic that came with the will to destroy E.N.D. Overtaken by that power and rage, Gray had nearly succeeded- even though it would've meant killing Natsu. Erza had stopped him then, and then it had taken Lucy to stop him from destroying the book and nearly killing Natsu again. _Gray doesn't want to hurt Natsu. I know that. He wants to save him as much as I do. _Still, after seeing him so distorted, she couldn't help but be a little uneasy. Suddenly, she leaned over to press her face into the crook of Gray's shoulder, and she felt him tense up. Lucy was exhausted, so she righteously didn't care about pretenses or propriety. Her emotions were boiling at the surface, threatening to spill over.

"Gray… Don't lose yourself, okay?" She expected an angry retort or a "What the hell are you talking about?" but Gray knew exactly what she meant. She felt his body relax as he exhaled deeply.

"Yeah. I know, Lucy." She was oddly quite contented with just staying like that, resting her head against his sturdy shoulder, but there was matters to be dealt with. With a small, sad frown, she raised her head and looked down at the worn, leather-bound tome containing Natsu's doom or salvation. The First's riddle echoed in her mind. _"That's when you will have to save Natsu! Use the power of your friendship to do it!" _

"I think we should open the book! I think I get what the first master was talking about!" Happy quipped from her feet with his little furry eyebrows narrowed. As Lucy stared resolutely down at the book, she thought that maybe she was beginning to understand a little what Mavis had meant, too. _The key to saving Natsu is in this book, no doubt about it. _Lucy steeled her determination and gripped the leather binding of the book tightly.

"Yes!"

As Lucy set the book on her lap and prepared to open it, the universe seemed to draw in its breath; the wind died, and the only sound was the gurgling of a fountain across the plaza. She felt Gray's tense muscles, his arms crossed, as he pressed a little closer to her and leaned over her shoulder to watch. Despite the gravity of the moment, a blush tainted Lucy's cheeks. _Now's not the time for that… _she reminded herself before taking a deep breath and opening the cover of the book. There was a moment of nothing but tension and silence, the breath she was holding feeling like a bubble in her chest ready to burst, and then everything exploded at once. She released the breath in the form of an alarmed gasp as light burst from the book, so forceful that her pigtails fluttered about her shoulders and her bangs waved in her face, and she could literally _feel _it, like cool water flowing over her chest and body. Then words began to spill from the pages, swirling in the air around the two of them and in the space above their heads.

"Th-the letters…" She looked at Gray to find him wearing a similarly awed and shocked face, his dark hair glowing a bluish hue in the ephemeral light, and in yet another inappropriate moment of lunacy Lucy thought that he looked beautiful cast in the light like that. When a stream of the inked words flew by her face, she was reminded at the task at hand, and she looked above her head at the spherical mass of paragraphs and sentences whirling above them.

"Look at all of them! Are they really _all _about Natsu?" she wondered aloud. Her eyebrows furrowed as her brown eyes expertly followed the stream of words, and a slow realization dawned on her. "Wait a minute… These…" Before she could finish the thought, the world heaved, and the book snapped shut as she and Gray were flung from the bench and into the air. As the world rumbled below, the air vibrated with the shockwaves, shaking Lucy's already battered body violently. She did her best to cling to the book as the rumbling began to cease and she plummeted back toward Earth. As she curled around it, expecting a rough impact, she suddenly felt someone grab her in midair. A second later she felt they hit the ground, but rather than unforgiving earth, Lucy was cushioned by Gray's embrace. Momentarily forgetting the book, she pushed herself up and looked down at him in alarm. "Gray! Are you okay? Why did you do that? You shouldn't be worried about me when you're all beat up!" she insisted wildly. It was then that she noticed she was basically straddling him, one knee between his legs and the other at his hip, his arms around her waist while her reddening face hovered above his. He cracked an eye open to grimace at her.

"Stop yelling. You're spitting in my face," he grumbled as he slipped one arm from her body to rub the back of his head. "Ow… What the hell was that?" Gray seemed perfectly unaware of how embarrassing their current situation was, while Lucy was just blank, her mind misfiring as it attempted to process.

"It came from the guild!" Happy groaned while sitting up. As Lucy finally began to come to her senses, Gray grabbed her by the hips to hold her steady while he sat up, bringing her body with his. Feeling his hands against the bare skin of her waist (as she had, of course, lost her shirt in the conflict like she always did) made her nerve blaze like Laxus had struck her with lightning, and she could only dumbly sit there holding the book, practically in his lap, while he peered in her face.

"You okay, Lucy?"

"Oh! Yes! I'm fine!" she squeaked. She finally had the wherewithal to make her body move, and hastily disentangled herself from him to sit beside him. If she didn't know better, he looked disappointed. "What were all those flying letters?" That question snapped Lucy back to attention. She pushed aside all the embarrassing hugging and holding and looked down at the book. It hadn't changed.

"It looks like the words are still in the book… This is really high-level Organic Link magic." She was sure of it, after reading them in the air as they swirled about. "I think that's how the book is connected to Natsu. In other words, if we could rewrite the words…" she trailed off as she stared hard down at it, riddling out what she needed to do to save Natsu's life.

"What? Rewrite all of _that_?" Gray exclaimed as he looked over her shoulder down at the unassuming volume. She was too absorbed in her problem-solving to bark at him for yelling in her ear. "We opened one page, and look how much came out of it! That's only a small fraction-"

"We don't have to rewrite it all," she interrupted as she ran a hand over the cover. It was rough, and torn, and scratched up. Imperfect. A smile came to her lips. Just like Natsu. Just like Gray. Just like her, and everyone else in the guild. She looked up at Gray, her expression growing serious. "I'm sure there's a page in here that can save Natsu! We have to find it! I'm certain that is what the First Master meant!" Judging from the force of that tremor and blast, Natsu was fighting his hardest. That meant that they had to fight their hardest to save him, too. Lucy opened the book again, and once more the letters began to float off the pages and careen through the air around them.

Except this time, something was different.

Lucy's eyes widened as the letters began to literally pop out of existence, disappearing from the links of letters with continuous _blam, blam, blams! _

"Did something happen to Natsu?!" Gray cried, his head swiveling about as the letters continued to disappear one by one. Lucy was silent for a moment, analyzing the continuously moving text and memorizing the vanishing letters because she knew it was important, until she realized just what had happened and her face grew pale and her eyes wide in horror.

"It's a part of his body! He's hurt very badly somewhere!" Reigning in her emotions, she took her magic pen and sat up on her knees, preparing to re-ink the words. Her mouth twitched a little as Gray grabbed her by the hips again to steady her as she wobbled slightly from exertion. _Focus, Lucy._

"Do you know how to rewrite it?" he asked. _Completely oblivious to how this looks… Just deal with it. Natsu is in danger! _

"I'm only going to rewrite the missing letters right now. I memorized them," she answered and began filling in the gaps in the stream of letters, her brown eyes flicking from one hole to the next while her hand scrawled in the missing text. In a matter of seconds, she had replaced all the missing characters, and she was confident that she had avoided Natsu's death.

"Amazing, Lucy!" Hearing Gray gush in praise, especially so close to her, admittedly made her flush with a mixture of joy and unease. Before she could say or do anything, though, she felt every cell in her body pulse, and her head twitched back as she felt magic power flooding into her arm, pulsing up her veins to begin spreading through her face and neck. _I-I… It hurts… I can't move! _Sweat began to pour from her body as she struggled to remain in control of herself, and her consciousness began slipping away. Her mind crystallized on one thought.

"G-Gray…"

Gray jumped forward as Lucy's body began twitching uncontrollably in his arms, and as she fell back against his chest, he could feel that her body was immensely hot, and sweat was pouring off of her.

"Lucy! Snap out of it!" As her head flopped backwards onto his shoulder, her brown eyes stared unseeing up towards the sky filled with the words of Natsu's fate, and dark magic had filled her veins, dying them a bloody red. Her entire body was shaking violently, and her breath began to come in ragged, labored gasps. He grabbed her by the shoulders to hold her in place and she immediately recoiled, like his touch caused her immense pain. Suddenly she seemed to return to her senses and her face scrunched up in pain, and she once more buried her face into the crook of his neck. He could feel the tears spilling from her eyes as they smudged across his skin. "Come on, Lucy! You gotta stay strong!"

"I feel hot…" Her voice was a breathy, agonized whisper. "Something… Something inside me is _burning_!" She turned into him, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her body against him as if he could cool her. Lucy seemed to be embarrassed about their closeness earlier (which he had blatantly ignored because, well, he wanted to), but in the throes of the magic backfire she didn't seem to care anymore. Gray hated seeing her in pain like this, and he tightened his grip around her while at the same time holding her as gently as he could.

"It must be Natsu's fire," Happy reasoned as he watched uncomfortably, his tail twitching. Gray's mouth curled into a frown as he clutched Lucy's frail, jerking body. _The flame of the demon. _Lucy faltered into him for a second, then managed to straighten up with a groan, lifting her head to stare back up at the magical words.

"If… If I can understand this magic, maybe I can help Natsu!" Gray knew that if she kept it up, she would be even worse off. Once again, like so many times before, he was absolutely amazed at her strength. "I can rewrite the demon inside him." She doubled over again, grimacing and holding a hand to her face as she shook violently.

"Lucy, if you keep going, you'll-"

"I'm fine, Happy," she huffed, a clear indication she was not fine. Gray knew that she would keep going no matter what, so he did the only thing he knew how to do. He propped his chin on Lucy's shoulder as he pulled her close, and a writhing white wind began to swirl around them, bringing frost and chill with it. "That's cold-!" she cried as she shuddered again, but the heat inside her body had dimmed somewhat.

"Let's save Natsu together. I can't rewrite those letters… But I can support you while _you _do." He didn't see her smile, but he knew she did, that sweet smile she always gave.

Gray wasn't sure of the moment he started to love her. He wondered sometimes, but he wasn't a real sentimental guy so he didn't dwell on it. He _did _love her, though, and knowing that was enough. He probably should have told her sooner, but somehow the moment never called for it; he needed to focus on not dying and keeping everyone else from not dying, and he always told himself he would tell her after. _After_ kept getting further and further away, though. As Lucy clung to him, one arm around his neck and her body against his while she continued to painstakingly, painfully rewrite the script of Natsu's soul, he promised himself then that he wasn't going to wait anymore. He closed his eyes, focusing on keeping the air around them as bitterly cold as possible to mitigate Lucy's suffering. Amongst the swirling wind, something else emerged in the background, faint at first. As he focused on it, it became clearer and louder, until it dominated his senses.

A heartbeat. _Lucy's_ heartbeat.

It was a thumping drum amidst the symphony of icy gales that he had conjured. As he focused on it more, he could feel her heart beating against his chest. It was fast, probably because she was working so hard keeping the demonic magic at bay. Gray didn't know why it mattered so much in that moment. Maybe because it was because he knew if he could still heard it, Lucy was okay- so he hung onto it, that rhythmic sound, the sound of her heart beating.

Gray wasn't sure how many minutes passed before she slumped back into him, her arm falling and the magic pen clattering to the ground. Her shifted her to her side to look down at the book in her lap, and they watched as the letters began to return to the pages. "You did it, Lucy," he smiled down at her. She gave him that sweet smile again, and then her face contorted in agony, her back arching as her entire arm pulsed red. She then fell limp, losing consciousness as she was unable to resist the magic any longer. Gray wasn't worried, though.

"Lucy!" Happy wailed and rushed over to her.

"Don't worry, Happy. My demon-slayer magic is made for this! I'll get this magic out of Lucy!" he said as his own magic spread up his arm and over his eye. He grabbed her by the wrist, using his own magic to forcibly draw the virus-like magic out of the girl. It was as if suddenly he had brought her back to life, as she jumped up and began coughing and hacking. Gray held her up as she recovered from the ordeal. "Are you okay now, Lucy?"

"Yes… Thank you, Gray." _There's that smile again… _They looked down to see the book glowing faintly, and the edges blurring before dissolving in globs of light. "The book is vanishing. Zeref has been defeated."

"but-! But if the book disappears, so will Natsu!" Happy cried as teared filled his eyes. Lucy grabbed Happy and hugged him to her chest, then put an arm around Gray and buried herself into him, quivering. Gray propped his chin on the top of her head, listening to her frantic, scared heartbeat pounding against his own while he watched the book continue to fade. He didn't know what was about to happen, and he held his breath as the book faded completely and disappeared in waves of light into the sky. He felt Lucy's body jerk as she stifled a sob.

They all looked up with a jolt as they heard the soft scrape of sandals against the pavement.

Down the path, staggering like a drunk but very much alive, was Natsu Dragneel.

"Yo!" he grinned at them with a lazy wave. "It's all over." Lucy clapped her hands to her mouth as the tears of joy spilled from her eyes, and Happy jumped from her arms to spawn his wings and zoom over to his beloved friend with a cry of glee. Lucy was much to weak to do so, so she just rested comfortably against Gray- not that he was gonna complain. Happy nuzzled Natsu joyfully for a moment until the dragon-slayer settled him down and looked at Lucy and Gray with a serious expression. "Hey… I don't think the First Master made it." The joyful atmosphere was obliterated in an instant. "I don't think she would want us to be sad, though. I have this weird feeling… She wanted it to end this way."

"That right?" Gray mused. It was definitely a Natsu thing to say.

"Yeah! So," that big grin of his appeared on his beat-up, bruised face. "Let's return to the guild with big smiles on our faces, yeah?" They were all in agreement, of course. Natsu turned to start heading back to the guild, and Lucy rose to follow but wobbled precariously.

"Yo, Natsu! Lucy and I will catch up in a sec, okay?" he called after him as he grabbed ahold of her wrist to keep her there, for which she looked down at him quizzically. Natsu didn't even bother to turn, just signaled that he had heard with another lazy wave. Lucy was still staring at him in confusion as he stood up.

"Huh? Gray, what is it?"

Gray was never really good with words. He was a man of action- so act he did, by grabbing Lucy under the chin to pull her face up and kiss her. He smothered a squeak of alarm and resistance, and she grabbed onto his bandages since his shirt wasn't there, but her fingers uncurled after a second to spread out over his chest, right over where his heart was beating. Gray held the kiss for a few seconds, and when he pulled back, her eyelashes fluttered and her eyes opened to reveal brown pools swirling with both happiness and befuddlement.

"You didn't have to take me by surprise like that," she pouted.

"I didn't feel like talking. What? You not like or something?"

"N-no, it's… Not that…" She grew flustered and embarrassed, looking down at her feet as she blushed. _She's cute when she does that. _"I, um… You too. I mean, I uh… Feel the same…" As she struggled with voicing her emotions, she hid her face in her hands miserably. Gray snorted with laughter and patted her on the head.

"See now why I didn't _say_ it?" All he got was a begrudging whine, which made him laugh again. While she was distracted with short-circuiting, he decided to keep teasing her and easily scooped her into his arms like a groom would his bride.

"Ack! Gray! Hey! I can walk, y'know?" she protested weakly, but fell still after a few kicks of her feet once she realized she was too tired. She looked at him with pursed lips as she curled into him, her slim arm sliding around his neck to fiddle with the ends of his dark hair. "Juvia's gonna kill me, you know."

"I can handle her," he chuckled and began walking after Natsu, who had disappeared into the ruins of the city. She laid her head on his shoulder, eyes drooping as she continued to smile that sweet, sweet smile he loved so damn much.

"Do you think it's over?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter," he said and looked down at her with a smirk. "We'll keep fighting together, no matter what."

"M-hmm," she nodded in agreement. Ahe fiddled with his hair continuously, her fingers sliding in and out of the blue-black strands and curling them around her fingertips; his hair was obviously her favorite part about him. He suddenly got an idea. She squeaked as he lifted her up a bit to press his ear against her chest. "Gray! Hey!" He could hear it there, that soft flutter and steady drum.

"Shut up, I just wanted to hear your heartbeat a minute." He couldn't decide now if he liked that more than her smile.

"… You're so weird…" He looked up to scowl at her and found her face pink, meaning that she also found it incredibly _romantic_. He grinned and settled her back into his arms as he strode down the ruined streets of Magnolia, on to an unknown future.

Well, it wasn't _entirely _unknown. It would have Lucy in it, for sure.


	8. One for the Memories

Category: Friendship Fluff, Comedy, Mild Romantic Fluff

Characters: Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster, Juvia Lockser, and Lyon Vastia

Requested By: Ella (Ao3)

To be honest, Lucy was quite unsure what to think as she stood beside Gray and Juvia in the secluded office where the Master had requested to speak privately with them. It wouldn't have been out of the ordinary if it were Natsu and Gray, maybe Erza too, considering how destructive the lot of them were and Lucy usually normally ended up being dragged into the scolding after their latest escapade, but she had to admit that the ice mage and the water mage were an odd pair. The two of them seemed not to have the same considerations; Juvia was purring with delight as she hung on the muscle of Gray's upper arm and whispering sweet nothings with the occasional intense glare in Lucy's direction, while the object of her affections was attempting to pry her cheek from his arm and grimacing in embarrassment. When the Master appeared with a slight cough, the attention of the three was captured, eager to learn what the old man had summoned them together for.

"A very nice opportunity for the guild has presented itself. The nationally-renowned Sorcerer Magazine has requested a photoshoot of the three of you that will be the main feature of the next issue," he explained, and Lucy's eyes widened in shock. Model-quality beauties like Mirajane were featured in the magazine quite often, but this was the first time Lucy had been afforded the opportunity; for a brief second she swelled with pride with the thought of _It's about time! _before her heart slammed into her ribcage as it came to a screeching halt; Lucy had never modeled before, and that unnerved her. Juvia and Gray seemed unperturbed; Gray was his usual indifferent self, even deigning to groan about what a useless venture it was, while Juvia squealed and hearts beat in her eyes at the thought of being in a photoshoot with her darling ice mage. When she realized that Lucy was also to be featured though, she peered around his front with a low grumble.

"Stay away from my darling Gray, love rival." Lucy had gotten quite used to Juvia's accusations and her teeter-totter attitude; when it came down to it, Juvia would back her up in tough situations, and that's all that mattered. Still, it was a bit tiring to constantly be accused of harboring feelings for the man when she had nothing of the sort.

"You don't have to tell me twice, Juvia."

"What?! How dare you insult Gray! Take it back!" Lucy just rolled her eyes as steam poured from the water-woman's ears, and focused on what the hell she was going to do about the modeling shoot.

They met the photographer the next day at the train station. They had been informed that a member from another guild would be also part of the modeling shoot, and while Gray ran around with a lovestruck Juvia chasing him around in circles leaving little hearts in her wake, Lucy wondered who it could be. There were a number of heartthrobs, both male and female, in the guild world, many of whom she had met during the Grand Magic Games just a few weeks before. As her mind flew through the many possibilities, she did not notice the train arrive and the last member of their quartet arrive until the photographer gleefully shouted, "Cool, cool, now everyone is here!"

"_What_?!" Gray and the newly-arrived Lyon shouted in unison and pointed at each other with the color draining from their faces. Gray continued to stare with his mouth agape and eye twitching, while his rival in ice magic quickly regained his composure and sidled over to Juvia with ice swirling in his hand to form a fluttering dove.

"My darling Juvia, how lovely it is to see you again~"

"Ugh, I'm going to spend all day trapped in some twisted love triangle," Lucy muttered under her breath as Juvia proceeded to jump behind Gray and peer at Lyon with waves of refusal rolling off her; Lyon deflated with a defeated sigh, the dove fluttering off as if it did not witness the crushing rejection before dissolving into sparkling ice. The photographer was blissfully unaware of the love being thrown around the train station; with another gleeful, "Cool, cool!" he jumped between the troop of wizards and announced that they would soon board the train for their photoshoot destination.

Once they were settled into their booth and trying to ignore the messy love tangle that was still unfolding around her, Lucy decided to approach the photographer with the questions that had been burning on her tongue all the while.

"Where will the photoshoot be held?"

"Oh, yes, yes! We'll be visiting a town nearby called Crystalwake! It's one of the most famous vacation spots in the entire country, known for its crystalline shores and crystal-clear waters!" he announced with almost too much enthusiasm. Lucy couldn't help but mirror it, clasping her hands together with an excited squeal while her brown eyes sparkled like the diamond lights playing across the famous waters of the aforementioned beach town.

"Really?! Crystalwake? Oh, I've always wanted to go there!" she trilled as she squirmed excitedly in her seat, a scowl gradually deepening on both Gray and Juvia's faces as her body rubbed up against his. She distinctly heard Gray mumble, "What's the big deal?" while Lyon was once again trying to shoot his shot at Juvia and falling utterly short. The venue had been featured multiple times across many magazines in all sorts of contexts, and Lucy thought it was simply the perfect spot for a photoshoot because it was so incredibly _romantic_. Once that word sprouted in her brain, however, her blissful train of thought came to a screeching halt in its tracks and she looked at the photographer with acute confusion and a slightly perceptible level of fear. "Wait, what kind of photoshoot is this?"

"I am _so_ glad you asked! Last issue, Sorcerer Magazine polled its readers concerning their favorite couples or potential couples within Fairy Tail with the caveat that they would be featured in a special photoshoot, and there were two that were overwhelmingly popular!" Instantly, Lucy was even more perplexed; people pinning Gray and Juvia as a couple wasn't exactly surprising, but the fact that people could see her with Lyon, whom she had only had limited contact with, was quite exceptional. She would have thought for sure that she would be paired with Natsu, her actual team partner! "The top votes were Lucy and Gray, and Lyon and Juvia!" If her train of thought had come to a screeching halt before, it totally derailed this time. The entire train car became a symphony of their deranged screeches of disbelief; the mildly puzzled photographer just sat there blinking with the smile still on his lips as they all jumped to their feet and began screaming together in one frightening harmony.

"What? There's no way that I can let my love rival be in a photoshoot with my Gray! Cancel it! And I want to know what crazy people even consider Lucy and Gray a couple!" Juvia shrieked, actually becoming fluid around the edges as she worked herself up to a near-boiling point.

"Juvia's right! There must be some mistake! Me and Gray? I mean, who would think that up?" Lucy cried, mostly out of fear of retaliation if she expressed the fact that she was actually relieved to be paired with the ice mage that she actually knew.

"What the hell does _that_ mean, Lucy?" Gray frowned and leaned down over her to peer into her face with his eyebrows narrowed accusingly. Lucy flushed red, both out of his proximity and the fact that she had upset him with her hasty comment.

"I-I mean, of course I like you, Gray-"

"_Love rival!" _Juvia shrieked, her curling blue hair nearly whipping about like snakes as she dissolved further into fluid form, and the Celestial wizard hurriedly whipped around to laugh nervously and wave her hands in a dismissive gesture.

"No, Juvia, that isn't what I meant-"

"So you do want to do a photoshoot with me?" Gray asked with a devilish grin and his chin tilted up in a challenging gesture. Lucy deflated like a balloon as she took the assault on two sides. _This is turning out to be a much bigger pain than I thought! _

"I get to be in a photoshoot with Juvia! 3" Lyon howled as he clapped his hands giddily together, obviously the only one happy with the way that things had turned out. The photographer somehow managed to convince the fiery water wizard that the pairing would have to stay so as not to disappoint the readers, but it had been Gray quipping that Juvia needed to make her fans happy to finally get her to agree with the fact; still, the entire train ride to the beach, she was obviously seething with displeasure beside Lyon, who was giving off a bright aura of one who had achieved enlightenment and ascended to the astral plane.

Needless to say, Lucy's head was hammering with headache by the time they stepped off the train.

Despite the twist of events, Lucy could not help but be cheered by the vacation spot's atmosphere. The train station was open to the elements, allowing the salty breeze to waft in and kiss the soft skin of her bare arms and legs and leave and aftertaste on her lips as she strolled with the photoshoot party across the wooden planks that made up the boardwalk-like structure. The roof was simply a cloth pavilion made of thick fabric that flapped in the ever-present winds rolling off the waves she could hear crashing in the near distance. As they walked out from beneath the shade, the sun was there to greet her, offering her an embrace of its warm rays. Her headache was all but erased as she ran down the boardwalk to behold the famous shore, and as she leaned over the wooden railings with a hand to her eyes to take in the majesty of the beach, no magazine picture could have ever prepared her for its brilliance. It took her breath away.

The white sands stretched on in either direction for miles and miles, each individual grain sparkling like a shard of crystal as the sun's bright rays struck its prism-like surface. The water was a shimmering cerulean, fading into sapphire as the depth increased towards the horizon; above the gently lapping waves, the sky was cloudless and brilliantly blue, the sun hovering at its highest point to bathe the beachgoers in its tanning streams. Gray and Lyon even seemed captivated by its majesty, and Juvia was able to forgo her ire to stand beside Lucy with her breath caught in her throat and her eyes drinking in every detail, watching the sailboats stream across the water leaving frothing wake behind. _It's so beautiful… _

The photographer wasted no time in preparing them for the shoot. Soon after arriving, Lucy was standing with her toes in the surprisingly soft sand clad in a white bikini patterned with golden stars and a crescent moon curling across the left side of her chest, as an ode to her Celestial magic. Lyon and Gray were both in swim trunks that were inversions of each other, two-toned blues, while Juvia wore a stylish one-piece of misty blue-white with plunging sides filled in with tied strings and wave-like patterns trawling across the front. They were quite a tastefully clothed bunch, and though a large section of the beach had been partitioned off for the photoshoot, they were still attracting a large amount of attention from passersby. Lucy wanted to bask in the praise, maybe strike a suave pose or two, but her mind had returned to the fact that she had never done anything to the sort and worrying over that fact. She wanted to look beautiful, not like an awkward fool, after all. She silently fretted as the photographer began to give directions.

"All right! First, we'll shoot some scenes in the water. We'll start with Lucy and Gray. Will you two go about knee-deep in the water, please?"

"This is a pain," Gray grunted as he accompanied Lucy out into the surf. She wasn't sure why, because she was painfully used to seeing Gray half-naked running around in his boxers at this point, but her eyes navigated to his sculpted abs and his defined arm muscles; her words became a hard lump in her throat, preventing her from replying. It was undeniable that Gray was an eye-catching guy; how had she not noticed before now? He definitely noticed her lack of response and looked at her with a frown, making her jump violently and send water droplets skittering about as she reflexively slapped her hands against the water. "You're acting weird."

"Am not!" she refuted with red cheeks, which didn't really make her argument all that strong. She blushed darker as he went to get in her face again, but thankfully that was interrupted by the photographer.

"Okay, cool, cool, that's a good distance!" Lucy crossed her arms uncomfortably and turned away from Gray, but she didn't want to necessarily look at the shore either because Juvia was currently trying to melt Lucy with her mere eyeballs. She focused instead at the water swirling around her upper calves; she could see straight through to the bottom like she was staring at liquid glass. Some seashells were half-buried in the sand around her, scallops and cats' eyes and swirling drills and murexes; one of them was currently occupied by a little hermit crab who was doing his best to scuttle against the current. "A-ha! I've got it! Gray, take Lucy in your arms!"

"What?" Lucy gasped and looked at him incredulously, then screamed as her feet were suddenly swept out from under her. Within an instant she was being held securely in Gray's arms; he looked blankly at the photographer.

"Like this?"

"Perfect! Cool, cool! Now, Lucy, put your arms around his neck." Uncertainly, Lucy circled his neck with her arms, feeling highly uncomfortable with the entire thing. _I probably look like an idiot… _she lamented silently as she felt her face burning, but tried to convince herself it was the intensity of the sun's rays. "Great! Now, try to seem like a loving couple, please~" he twittered like a gull as he flapped about on the shoreline, the shutter of his camera already clicking wildly. Gray turned his pointed gaze on her, a hint of a smile on his lips and all manner of sexy; Lucy was highly certain she looked like a fish gasping for breath. "Lucy, dear, please try to look a little more relaxed!"

"Easier said than done," she huffed, not realizing she had done so out loud.

"Come on, Lucy, lighten up. You said you wanted to come to this place, right? Forget about the camera and just pretend we're having fun," he smiled at her. Lucy puffed out her cheeks defiantly at him, but honestly forgot the camera in that instant because she was too focused on refuting him.

"Come on, Gray! I'm not Mirajane! This stuff doesn't just come naturally to me!"

"Why not? You're as beautiful as Mirajane." Lucy's previously derailed train of thought shot off into the sky, breaking through the atmosphere at the words that had just so easily slipped from Gray's lips. He was smirking up at her, but she could not tell if he was serious or teasing; all the same, she could not keep the blissful smile from gracing her own mouth.

"You mean that?" The photographer's cheers of "Cool, cool!" were lost on her as she bathed in the sun and Gray's compliment. He nodded, and she could feel his fingers twirling through her long tresses of blonde hair, which she had decided to let fly free for the modeling gig. Lucy's smile grew bright enough to rival the sun above, and the hint of pink that graced her cheeks was now a tint of joy. "Thanks, Gray."

"Don't thank me yet," he suddenly grinned wildly, and her scream was swallowed by the seawater as he abruptly dunked her into the ocean. She landed on her butt against the bottom, startling the hermit crab and sending him feverishly scurrying out towards deeper, safer water; as the current swirled in her ears, she could faintly hear Gray's raucous howls of laughter. She came up spitting the foul salt water and glaring at him through stinging red eyes. "You should have seen the look on your face!" he cackled while holding his belly.

"You jerk!" she shouted and jumped up to push him roughly in his chest. She successfully disbalanced him and sent him down in a similar fashion; water streamed through his dark hair as he came up coughing, but before he could launch another attack on her, she splashed him in the face and started scampering back to shore.

"Come back here! I'm not through with you!" he growled and yanked her back by the ankle. She belly-flopped into the surf with a surprised yelp, and was dragged across the bottom before she was pulled up so Gray could put her in a headlock and started roughly ruffling her hair.

"Ow! Ow! Gray!" she cried, but the laughter made its way into her voice. Her limbs flapped about wildly as she tried to escape his grasp, and managed to loosen it just enough to turn around in his grip to start beating him in the side of the head. In that effort, though, they became disbalanced together and she ended up on top of him, legs on either side of his waist with his hands wrapped around her waist, water streaming off their bodies like one hundred waterfalls.

"Perfect! Cool, cool! You two are naturals!" the photographer was screeching in near mania, the shutter clicking as fast as his finger would allow without falling off. Lucy was panting with exertion as she sat atop Gray, and when she finally realized what she was doing and how borderline erotic of a position she was in, she squeaked and hastily scrambled off him. It was too late, though; she had already earned Juvia's wrath, and no sooner than the water mage had stomped into the surf Lucy was blasted with a torrent of swirling water that sent her screeching into the deep blue. She came up several yards out, her hair plastered to her face and soaked from head to toe.

"Take _that_, love rival!"

Sighing in resignation, Lucy paddled back to the point to where she could walk and began waded back through the surf. Gray came to the edge of the sandbar to help her, which the photographer eagerly recorded much to Juvia's disappointment; as Lucy reached out to take his hand she stumbled in the thick, mud-like sand and instinctively looked down, and came upon the terrifying realization that by some bizarre incidence Gray had lost his shorts. She screamed and snapped her hands to her eyes, seeing far too much by the grace of the famous crystalline water, while Gray freaked out and began looking around for his swim trunks and a very unamused photographer informed him that this was not _that _kind of photoshoot. Juvia had fainted and Lyon was trying to revive her with far too much joy at having the unconscious woman in his arms.

After Gray found his shorts it was time for Juvia and Lyon's shoot, which mainly consisted of Lyon chasing a very unwilling Juvia through the surf that ironically looked like they were playing a consensual game of tag. After several more rounds of general poses and acts, it came time for the final photoset of Gray and Lucy's. By then her mind had eased and she was putting little thought into how she looked; Gray had done a good job of boosting her confidence. This time they were directed to a setup of props- two towels that matched their outfits beneath a shady umbrella, with all the beachgoing amenities scattered about. They took a few benign ones at first, like on of Lucy on her belly with her legs pulled up and ankles crossed while she read a book, one of Gray staring out at the ocean waves with a popsicle hanging out of his mouth, one that the photographer happened to catch by chance when it fell out of his mouth into his lap and made Lucy laugh like a maniac next to him. Gray was still shaking the icy-cold popsicle drops off his legs when the photographer informed them that it was time to resume the couple act- and that's how Lucy ended up underneath Gray, nose-to-nose and trying not to freak out. She could hear Lyon struggling to hold Juvia back from killing the photographer, but the Lucy was fixated on the man looming over her.

"Well, this is cozy," he joked effortlessly, like he was unperturbed.

"Gray, how can you be so calm about this? People are going to _see_ these photos, you know." Though she was fine with the actual modeling now, it was still a little weird to be featured as one half of an item.

"Yeah, _and_? People are gonna talk regardless. Might as well give 'em something to talk about." Lucy rolled her eyes; he was much to dense to get it, apparently. Lucy had no care to be the topic of gossip, at least not in the sense that she was Gray's potential lover. Gray shifted above her, and she sat up a little to help him get comfortable. She went suddenly stiff as he accidentally caught his finger in the loop of her bikini and nearly pulled the thing off, and she hastily flopped back against the towel as the flimsy fabric barely covered her modesty. It was only at this point that Gray blushed and sheepishly smiled, which totally would make it look like they were about to be getting up to some very naughty things in the photograph. Lucy's face was afire and her eyes wide, which didn't help the image. "I didn't mean for that to happen."

"Like hell you didn't. You're just teasing me at this point!" she accused. He ran a hand through his hair with a dour expression, and Lucy heard the shutter clicking frantically. _We're gonna be the talk of the whole country for years after this, _she thought with a groan.

"Lucy, come on, I- oh shit!" As he was once again trying to shift on top of her, his hand slipped in the loose sand and he completely lost his leverage. The breath was knocked from Lucy's body as he landed on top of her, which was a bad enough image in itself, but the divinities were seemingly having a ball at Lucy's expense; Gray's mouth landed right against hers; there was no mistaking the feeling of his lips. Worse, she had somehow grabbed the back of his head as he fell, making it look all the more convincing. _Gray and I are-!_

"Wow! You guys sure do take this seriously, going so far for the fans! This'll be a great piece!" the photographer sighed dreamily. It was overtaken by Juvia's deranged screeching.

"_Love rival love rival __**love rival-**_!"

"Juvia, will you let me kiss you? Just for the shoot, of course," Lyon crooned as he wiggled up to Juvia, but the water mage was in no mood to entertain; his wails were lost in the rushing of water as she sent him spiraling down the beach. He landed face-first and butt in the air, and when he came up he was spitting the fine grains out of his mouth and looking downright dejected. "Gray gets to kiss Lucy but I don't get to kiss Juvia," he moped as he tromped back over to them with slumped shoulders and the sand raining from his spiky hair. By this time, Gray and Lucy had sprung apart and placed several feet between them, both as red as tomatoes and wiping their mouths with the backs of their hands.

Needless to say, that little photograph made the front page.

Lucy ducked out of the guild after a raucous round of teasing, clutching the copy of the magazine to her chest. Though it featured the embarrassing array of her and Gray's spicy photos together, it was still her one and only modeling gig, and despite the context she was quite proud of it and wanted to hang onto a copy as a memento. Plus, looking back on it, she had had a lot of fun with Gray; he had so effortlessly calmed her nerves, and, antics aside, tromping around the beach with him had become a fond memory. Standing outside the guild with the roaring laughter and buzz of conversation fading into the background, she flipped open the magazine to the featurette, all the pictures of their own laughing faces under the blazing sun. While their relationship was not nearly of the nature their fans envisioned, Lucy definitely could admit that it was a good one.

"Bah, you had enough of those guys too?"

The Celestial wizard glanced up when the exact man in the photos beside her slipped out of the guild doors, looking irritated. He actually had his clothes on, with his hands stuffed into his overcoat pockets; his dark eyes were looking down at her, with that same intensity yet softness they always carried. "They were so busy passing it around and making fun of it, I didn't even get to see the feature. You mind?" Lucy nodded and stepped closer to him, holding out the magazine so that they could both peruse the contents; though he was standing so close that their arms brushed, his breath puffing against her ear as he leaned down over her shoulder, Lucy felt nothing along the sort of nervousness or anxiety. Outside the context of the modeling shoot, gray really was just Gray; personal space really wasn't a thing between them. That made her smile slightly. "What's that grin for?"

"I was just thinking that we look pretty good together."

"Oh, so you've finally fallen for my bewitching good looks, have you?" he smirked at her with his hand on his chin, and she laughed loudly. He joined her, and their shoulders shook in unison as they descended into a hysterical fit of snickers and giggles. By the time they settled down, Lucy was holding the magazine against her belly and tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. Gray exhaled deeply as he ran a hand through his midnight-colored hair, smiling in bemusement. "As much as a pain it was, I can't say that I didn't have fun. I definitely don't wanna do it again, though, I'm tired of all the jokes."

"Well, at least you have the reassurance that if you fail at being a wizard, you've got a modeling career ahead of you," she grinned at him, and because the comment was unwarranted, he pinched her cheek and began tugging on it.

"You're pretty cheeky tonight, aren't you?"

"Ow! Gray! Cut it out, I'm sorry!" she whined while trying to swat his hand away. He sniffed in mock disdain before releasing her, and she tenderly rubbed her reddening skin while he grinned in that devilish way of his. "You're right, though. I'm afraid Juvia's gonna murder me in my sleep, and all the girls keep pestering me about going on a date with you!" she laughed lightly.

"Yeah, as if. We'll both end up in a grave for that," he snorted, then cast his gaze up at the night sky. The clouds were drifting lazily by the full moon and the stars twinkled like the light playing across the waves they had played in. "Still… I wouldn't mind going back. To Crystalwake, I mean. Under normal circumstances."

"Yeah. I had a good time. Just no pulling off my bikini top this time. You may like to lose your clothes, but I don't."

"Asshole," he smirked and shoved her in the side of her head. Lucy grabbed her head, but was smiling; she knew that Gray's gestures and teasing, though rough, were just his way of showing affection. He chortled too, then put his hands behind his head. "So, now I gotta walk you home, right? Isn't that the rule after you kiss a girl?"

"Technically, you did it wrong. You're supposed to kiss her on her doorstep," Lucy quipped as she tucked the magazine into her bag and clasped her hands behind her back, whirling on her heel to skip a few paces down the cobblestoned street. "Still, I guess I'll cut you some slack and let you walk me home, but don't try anything funny, mister."

"Yes, ma'am," she heard him chuckle behind her, and his boots made light clicking noises as they struck the stone walking after her. Lucy hopped up onto the rock wall overlooking the harbor as she always did, her arms held out on either side of her for balance as she strode along, silhouetted by the starry night and the glittering ocean as Gray walked alongside her.

_Crystalwake is beautiful, but I don't need to go to some fancy beach to have fun with you. _She kept that thought to herself, as Gray would likely make some smart-aleck jibe about it. Lucy didn't know if what she had with Gray would one day develop into anything more or not; she wasn't really in a state that wondered, either. She was content with their playful friendship for what it was, and that brought her enough joy in itself.


	9. Stars in Your Eyes

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia

Lucy's eyes were lidded with sadness as she sat curled up among the roots of the towering tree, one of many sheltering her and her friends within the kingdom of Stella, which had so quickly turned into a hostile environment after their attempt to secure the Dragon Cry. As their enemies hunted them, the haggard wizard party had fled into the safety of a nearby forest, hoping that the darkness of night and the shield of the thick canopy of leaves and interwoven branches would be enough to hide them from prying eyes, at least until they were ready to try once more to steal the staff. However, even that was no longer so simple; if they stole the staff, the kingdom would be destroyed as the cosmic energy absorbed by the crystals over hundreds of years burst into powerful force, thus erasing it from existence. As she bit down on her bottom lip as it threatened to wobble, unsure of what the right thing was to do, she pulled her knees tighter to her chest, nearly suffocating herself with how tight her body was pulled; not that it mattered, because her chest was already a tight knot of worry, making it hard to breathe. _What do we do…?_

"Lucy? Whatsa matter? Can't sleep?" Leaves fluttered down to the dank forest floor, already littered with many fallen brethren, as Natsu's head pushed its way through the thick blanket of leaves. He was flitting through the canopy like some sort of monkey, a ball of endless energy as always. Lucy exhaled slightly as she turned to glance over her shoulder at him, trying not to seem as bothered as she was.

"I only just got off of guard duty," she answered simply. Natsu blinked at her in response, and somehow this compelled her to continue talking though she had not intended to in the first place; turning her head back to the loamy soil, her face fell once more into its crestfallen state. "I know our mission is to get the Dragon Cry back, but if we do, this kingdom will probably disappear…" Her melancholy words hung in the air like the speckles of dust flittered about, only visible in the patches of moonlight that spilled down from the night sky hidden behind the protective layer of green above her head. Natsu did not respond. Though he pretended to be his usual, unbothered, energetic self, Lucy had no doubt that it weighed heavily on his own mind as well.

"Come up here." Lucy had expected him to say something at least a little reassuring, not ignore her altogether, and her sadness was briefly replaced by irritation; she whipped her head about to flash him a dour frown.

"No! I'm in a skirt!" she protested with a huff.

"Come on," he insisted before disappearing once more into the sea of green. Lucy's nose twitched in displeasure, and she tossed her head again with another huff, her long blonde hair lashing at the sturdy tree trunk like a whip. She was perfectly content to continue sitting on the ground… or at least, she thought so. Her body began to twitch slightly as she wrestled with the abrupt end to the conversation and the curiosity of what Natsu wanted to say to her exactly. Before she knew it, she was digging her fingers into the moss-covered bark of the tree, scowling as she attempted to climb the tree in an outfit that was certainly not suited to doing so.

"What do you want, Natsu?" she called up to him in a grunt as she pulled herself up onto the nearest sturdy branch. Natsu hopped through the boughs with ease above her head, rapidly leaving her behind. "Hey! How much farther?" she complained with a glance down at the ground below; she was already several yards up, the ground a dirty smudge of brown soil and patches of green grass dyed blue by the gloom of night. Lucy spit her hair out her face as she turned her head to return to the task at hand, slowly but deliberately hauling herself into the canopy. Natsu had vanished above the greenery, but she could spy his feet, balanced easily on a branch only just thick enough to hold his weight. Lucy approached the thickly packed swathe of leaves and pulled them apart with her hands; dew smeared across her hands, milky as the light of the moon danced over them; she thrust her head through, blinking momentarily as her eyes were blinded by the surprisingly intense light spilling from the heavens above, and immediately turned to Natsu. "What is it?"

"Here, let me lend you a hand," he said as he flashed her that roguish smile of hers. Lucy's eyebrows were slightly knit as she pondered what he could be up to; he was calm all of a sudden. Though he was smiling, she could see he had a serious, contemplative aura about him; she knew him well enough to sense those subtle changes in him. He extended his hand to her, and Lucy slipped her own into it, allowing him to gently pull her through the thick layers of leaves. As he did so, Lucy's eyes were suddenly called to the night sky, and she ceased her movements altogether as she was immediately overtaken by the magnificent spectacle above her head.

The black sky was dyed sapphire by the brilliance of thousands of stars dotting the expanse, accented by lavender clouds drifting lazily just above the horizon. They twinkled like diamonds as they bathed Lucy and Natsu in their ethereal glow, clustered together like a collection of wildflowers in a meadow of blue grasses. "You said you wanted to see the stars." In the distance, Lucy could see the brilliantly glowing crystals of Stella; they burst in magnificent rays of purple and blue and white as they vigorously absorbed the light spilling down from above, and the stars seemed to shine all the brighter lest their graceful light be diminished forever by those crystals.

"They're… magnificent," she whispered. She had never been so overwhelmingly awed by something before. She was overtaken by a bizarre emotion and tears flooded through her brown eyes, though if it was happiness at the fact that Natsu showed her this or sadness at the fact that this beautiful sky would cease to be if they carried out their mission, she was not sure. Perhaps it was a combination of both.

"Eh. I don't think they're that special."

"Natsu!" she cried in shock and a little bit of anger, pulling herself through the green leaves that hugged her body like mud to stand at equal level with him. She put her hands on her hips as she glowered, offended by his lack of appreciation for the spectacle. He flashed her that cheeky, confident grin of his, so confident that the glare fell off her face, replaced by an expression of confusion.

"If I wanted to see the stars, I would just have to look in your eyes, Lucy." Her mouth parted, then shut again as she swallowed slightly; the way he was looking at her was different than he ever had before. There was something burning in his eyes, but not like usual. It wasn't the intense inferno that alit Natsu's eyes when he was ablaze, but a soft simmer of embers, soft and yet no less intense. He raised her hand to lay it against her cheek, and she felt his soft warmth spread across the skin that she didn't know was chilled in the first place. "Those stars will beat Stella's any day, in my opinion." His normally loud, boisterous voice had hushed to a low whisper full of feeling. Lucy's hands were clasped in front of her chest as if to contain her heart which had begun to beat wildly out of pace. He stepped across the branches to stand right in front of her, nearly chest-to-chest to where she had to crane her neck back to keep eye contact with him, and he stared down at her for a moment; his pink hair absorbed the moonlight and starlight, washed in whiteness like a halo around him. Lucy then tensed as his face drew closer, and Lucy had no doubt that in her moment that her eyes widened, they _did _contain the stars, capturing the glitter of the celestial bodies above to glimmer with a beauty all their own.

Natsu's mouth enveloped hers like a gentle embrace. Lucy squeezed her hands against her chest as something that she had not noticed had been hiding there exploded into being like the birth of the star: _love. _The stars blinked out one by one as Lucy's eyes drifted shut, leaving herself at the mercy of Natsu's kiss and this feeling of hers. His fingers teased a strand of her blonde tresses, while his thumb swiped across her cheekbone like the barely perceptible kiss of a breeze, but it made Lucy's nerves explode with electricity. As his lips moved against hers so effortlessly, like they were meant to, her trembling hand left her chest to stretch out and land against his own, her fingers fanning out as if to hold him there forever.

Natsu pulled back, but only slightly; his eyes were still only a few centimeters away as he smiled gently, still continuously stroking the side of her face. "Don't be sad, Lucy. I'll protect the stars, both Stella's and yours. I haven't failed you yet, have I?"

"No," she smiled warmly back. "And I'll be right beside you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Lucy never told anyone what transpired under those stars that night, but she always remembered. She took some of those stars with her, holding them in her eyes and her heart for Natsu to have forever and ever…


	10. Life in Every Breath

Category: Romantic Fluff, Drama

Characters: Gray Fullbuster, Lucy Heartfilia

Requested By: Anonymous User

_**Alternatum to Heartbeat **_

Gray's expression was stony and serious as he leaned over Lucy's shoulder to stare down at the scratched, frayed tome that currently rested on her lap- the book of E.N.D. From his limited understanding, it was unequivocally linked to Natsu's being; thankfully, Lucy had stopped him from destroying the book and thus snuffing out the dragon-slayer's life. The bastard was annoying as all hell sometimes, but he shuddered to think that he could have just erased his existence like that due to some hasty actions. He watched as Lucy's milky-white hand brushed over its uneven, rune-carved surface, the hand that was marred by scrapes and abrasions from their hard-fought war… the war that still had yet to end.

"I'm going to open it now," Lucy breathed. They had decided to do so, because whatever was contained within could potentially save Natsu and defeat Zeref once and for all. He glanced over to see Lucy's expression set in that determined grimace of hers, which caused him to smirk. Once Lucy got down to business, nothing could stop her. With a quick flick of her hand, she flipped the book open. For a second, it seemed like the world took a deep breath; the wind died down and nothing moved; everything just hung in limbo. Once the second passed, though, the world released a silent shriek. Light exploded from the book, along with a fierce wind that send Gray's tousled locks to flipping. One of Lucy's pigtails whipped up to slap him across the forehead, and he batted it away just in time to see the inked characters in the book actually _moving. _As if carried by the wind like leaves dancing across concrete, they swirled upwards before spreading out in constantly moving, interlocking chains of words.

"What are they?" he whispered and looked down at her. Her face was turned upwards, her brown eyes scanning the streaming letters to try and make sense of them; cast in the ethereal glow pouring from the volume, Gray thought briefly that she looked like an angel, sent from Heaven to wage war on Earth against the forces of evil. It was an ironically accurate metaphor.

"They're all… about Natsu…" she frowned in response. Her eyebrows narrowed into acute arcs as she concentrated on the lettering. Suddenly, a concerned shock bloomed in her face, but before Gray could ask why, the world heaved in a savage earthquake. The light and words vanished as the book was flung from Lucy's lap and shut in mid-air; Gray and Lucy soon followed. On instinct, he grabbed ahold of her and turned his body such to cushion her fall. He gritted his teeth as his bare back struck the rough cobblestone of the street, but aside from a few scrapes and bruises, he would escape unharmed. Lucy remained cushioned in the muscles of his arms and chest. Once the shaking stopped, she looked up, blinking.

"What was that?" complained Happy, who had ended up sprawled out on his belly next to him.

"It came from the guild. No doubt it's Natsu," Gray surmised. He loosened his grip on the Celestial Wizard as she sat up, holding her head as she recovered from the severe jostle. She then gasped and crawled off of him to scramble over to the Book of E.N.D., once more flipping it open to spill the script of Natsu into the air. Gray sat up slowly, his muscles stiff from the previous battles and the latest jarring, and incidentally glanced up at the words. He was alarmed to find that random characters were begin to pop out of existence. "Lucy, what's happening?!" he demanded, startled.

"Natsu is injured, very badly!" Panic struck Gray's heart like an ice spear of his own making. If Natsu was mortally wounded, they stood no chance against Zeref, period… And his friend could die. He crawled on his hands and knees over to Lucy just as she whipped out a magic pen and sat up on her knees, poised like a conductor ready to direct a symphony. "If I rewrite the missing characters, I think I can save him!" Gray didn't even bother asking if she had memorized them, because he knew she did. He sat down beside her, watching as she began to hastily scrawl the magic characters back into place. He then clenched his teeth and looked down at his hands as he balled them into fists. _I can't do anything… _

He jerked up as he heard Lucy scream in pain. Her back was arched into a sharp curved and her eyes wide as they stared unseeing up at the swirling mass of text; her hand, still clutching the magic pen, was dyed a bright, burning red with snake-like tendrils slithering up her arm.

"Lucy!" he gasped as she groaned in agony. Her entire body was quaking more than the earth had been a few minutes ago. When he put a hand on the small of her back to steady her, she recoiled with a hiss, though there were no signs that the dark magic had invaded there.

"My body… It's _burning_!" came the hoarse whisper. Her face scrunched up in pain and she fell to the side, collapsing against Gray. As their skin met, he could feel the sweat that had already coated her paling body.

"It must be a rebound! Natsu's demon magic is trying to overtake her body…" Happy cried as he nervously fluttered around the panting Celestial Wizard. Gray held her tenderly, knowing that his touch was sending shockwaves of pain through her feeble body, and pulled a few sweat-slicked strands of blonde hair through her face. Just as he was about to take the magic pen from her, she gripped tightly onto Gray's shoulder and sat herself up.

"Lucy! Don't overexert yourself!"

"I can do this," she responded. The strength had returned a little to her voice, but it was still very obviously strained. "I just have to finish re-writing this section, and I think I can change Natsu's fate." She swallowed before raising her arm again, and her hand began to twirl about as she once more began scribing with the magic pen. Gray watched her with a mixture of concern and pride. Lucy's strength never ceased to amaze him; it was different than the strength of those like himself and Erza and Natsu… A quiet, unassuming one, but a strength nonetheless, one that blazed when their own strengths failed… one that enable Lucy to do things they could never dream of doing. A faint smile ghosted his lips. _Well, there's something I can do for her at least. _He conjured up a small sphere of swirling wind around them to cool the air and hopefully stave of the burning heat that was poisoning her body. In a matter of seconds, she relaxed, a look of mild peace pervading her features. "Thanks," she said, tossing him a gentle smile.

"You got it. Now let's save our idiot."

They sat in silence as Lucy continuously reworked the magical text. Gray watched in discomfort as the curse crawled further and further up her arm, its thin tendrils branching up over her chest to seemingly entangle her heart. Gray knew that he could draw out the magic with his demon-slaying arts, but it bothered him because he knew that it was excruciatingly painful. Even with Gray's maelstrom of cooling air, Lucy was still sweating profusely and drawing shallow, labored breaths. Her expression grew increasingly more exhausted until it seemed that she was struggling to keep her eyes open. Finally, when he thought that she couldn't take any more, she slumped over with an agonized groan and dropped the pen.

"I did it… It's done…" she wheezed. The letters, now completed, spiraled back down into the book and it flipped shut of its own accord. Lucy took a moment to catch her breath, doubled over with her hand clutching at the area over her heart, before she weakly looked up towards the book. "It's disappearing!"

"Does that mean it didn't work?! Is Natsu-?" He didn't finish the thought. Happy and Lucy both began to cry at the implications.

"I don't know…" she admitted with a frightened sniffle. "I did all I could… Now we just have to wait and see…" With shaky arms, she pushed herself back up, and Gray rushed in to help her back into a sitting position. Her head flopped back against his shoulder, her sweaty locks streaking his skin in the salty liquid. He didn't care, though. Once more, he swept hair from her face and smiled softly down at her.

"You did great, Lucy." She returned the sentiment with a serene, tired smile just as the book vanished. He only took his eyes off her for a second to watch the last bits of light from the tome twinkle out of existence… and that second was all it took for it all to go absolutely, _horribly_ wrong.

A strained gurgling noise left Lucy's throat. When his gaze shot back to her, both her hands were pressed against her chest over her heart, and her brown eyes were wide, wider even than the moment the dark magic gripped her body upon attempting to write in the Book of E.N.D. "Lucy?!" he cried and shook her violently. Her body limply jostled at his touch, like she was lifeless, her arms dropping to her sides. Happy's breath caught in his throat as Gray began to mutter her name under his breath, his voice gradually rising in pitch as she did not respond. He laid her down on her back, unsettled by the lifeless gloss in her unblinking eyes, and he ripped the bandages off his right arm. The demon-slayer magic blazed up his skin like black ink flooding paper, stretching up to his eye before becoming complete. He gripped Lucy's wrist and held it up. Her hand just flopped lifelessly in the air. "Hold on, Lucy, this'll fix you!" he whispered before forcibly drawing the magic out of her. The blood red stain on her skin receded as his demon-slayer magic gobbled it up eagerly like a monster devouring prey. However, even with the last dregs of the vile magic drained from her system, Lucy did not wake. She just laid there… Like she was dead.

As the thought his mind, Gray gasped and immediately pressed his ear to where her heart was. Instead of the steady beat of the organ drum, he heard nothing, just deafening, terrifying silence.

"No, no, no, no, no!" he cried as he shot back up and flipped his leg over her to straddle her waist. All measures of propriety and implications were aside, replaced by the cold rush of sheer panic. He leaned over and began frantically compressing her chest, trying to get her heart to start once more. "Come on, Lucy, you can't die on me now!" he shouted at her. Happy was standing above her head crying pitifully, which was bouncing up and down a little as he pushed hard into her sternum, over and over and over. Gray paused for a moment to lean over and grab her face, pushing her lips apart before covering them with his own and exhaling deep into her mouth. He then flew up and began pumping her chest again. "Come on, Lucy!" he grunted, already beginning to sweat with exertion. How long had it been? Thirty seconds? A minute? He knew she couldn't survive long without getting her heart going again.

"Come on! Come on! _Come on_! _COME ON_!" he screamed at her as there was no response. He wasn't sure when he began to cry, but very soon he was aware of the painful stinging in his eyes and the wetness rolling over his cheeks. "Don't die. Please, don't die," he begged her and again leaned over to breathe into her mouth. Instead of getting up to start compressions again, he lingered against her lips for a moment, near his breaking point. "I love you, Lucy, please don't leave me!"

He was an idiot. Why hadn't he realized it sooner? Of course he loved her. It was so obvious, in the way his heart pounded when he saw her, in the flutter in his chest when she smiled, in the way he thought her voice was pure music. He loved her, and now she was gone, and he would never have the chance to tell her. With a broken sob, he forced himself to sit back up and began laboriously attempting to resuscitate her though it was agonizingly painful to do so. Every breath he drew stung his heaving lungs. Every push made his muscles scream in protest. Yet he kept on, in the feeble hope that it would work. He repeated her name like a mantra, a chant that might instill life in her. His strength began to fail and he half-leaned, half-flopped over to give her one final breath.

Suddenly, she heaved under him, and he felt her mouth drawing in a deep, desperate breath. Her back arched as she began coughing and moaning in pain, but Gray was beyond stupidly relieved to notice. As he sat back up, he held his arms around her in a tight hug and pulled her up with him and buried his face into her golden hair as he began to sob quietly.

"Lucy… _Lucy_…" It was hard to get her name out with how intensely his voice was breaking. His body thunderously quaked, still facing the aftereffects of the fear that had gripped him only a few seconds ago. Lucy's hands weakly slipped up his back up to his shoulder blades.

"G-Gray…" Almost as if to reassure himself, he put his hand on her neck. Sure enough, he could feel her thudding pulse in her carotid artery. "Gray… I'm okay… I'm okay…" she whispered in his ear. He could tell just by the thickness in her voice that she was crying too. He pulled back, his sobs transitioning into relieved laughter. Sure enough, there were glittering tears streaming down her cheeks. She was giving him that soft, sweet smile that made his heart melt. He swept a fingertip down her cheek, then traced her jawline, before his thumb gently swept across her lip. She parted them slightly, as if giving him permission.

And Gray _sure _as hell took it.

His hand snapped to the back of her head to jerk her forward. His lips smashed against hers in a passionate, desperate, sloppy kiss; if Lucy hadn't been short of breath already, he sure as hell would've swept it away. She fell against him, and he could feel her chest moving against his as she fought for breath, so caught up in the intense kiss. One of her hands snaked up to the back of his neck to tangle her fingers into his messy strands of dark hair, while Gray's migrated to her waist, fixing her in place as he pushed the kiss deeper. He drank her in, all her beautiful essence, and nearly got drunk off of it. Though he could have spent all day kissing her, the lack of oxygen began to burn his lungs, and he broke off the kiss, leaving them both panting hard. He only pulled back a few centimeters to gaze intently in her glittering brown eyes.

"I love you, Lucy," he murmured, again caressing her face. He felt the heat appear in her skin as she blushed.

"I-I love you too, Gray."

"Great, now that that's established, can you two stop making out?"

"_**NATSU**_?!" The two of them screeched in unison and whipped around. Sure enough, the pink-haired fire wizard was standing there a few feet away, beat within an inch of his life and very much alive. He was glowering at them, apparently very uncomfortable at their open display of affection. Happy was clinging to his best friend's leg nuzzling him tenderly. Identical blushed painted Gray and Lucy's cheeks as the romantic mood was immediately murdered by Natsu's arrival. Gray climbed of Lucy and stood, holding out a hand to help her to her feet. When he did, he stubbornly held her hand when she tried to pull it back. She blushed further, but made no move to resist further.

"Glad you're alive."

"Thanks, you too, asshole," Natsu sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He flashed Gray a cocky grin. "Now that this is a thing, you know I'm obligated to tell you to take care of her or I'll kick your ass, right?" Lucy began to admonish him for his rudeness, but Gray just grinned in return.

"'Course. Can we finish the ass-kicking at hand, first, though?" Natsu gave a big sigh and put his hand behind his head, toeing the cobblestone street.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get goin'- and I better not catch you two sneaking off," he huffed with a playful smirk. Lucy went red to her ears and began yelling at him for his indecency, while Gray just smiled and turned to press a kiss into her hair. She instantly deflated into a gushy mess. Natsu cackled like a demon and whirled around to begin marching off toward the battleground.

"Hey, Lucy?"

"Hmm?"

"I meant that, y'know. I'll take care of you," he told her with a confident grin. She smiled happily back in response and nodded.

"I know- and I've got your back, too!" she grinned while holding up her fist. That was his Lucy, strong as ever. He chuckled and he intertwined their fingers before pulling her along in Natsu's direction.

"I know. Now let's finish what we started, eh?"

He tugged her along after the dragon-slayer, and for a brief second, swept his thumb up to her wrist to once again check her pulse. There is was, strong and steady. Gray would make sure that it would stay that way, because Lucy's heart belonged to him now, and he wanted it to beat for him forever.

Just like his would for her.


	11. Now and Forever

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Erza Scarlet, Jellal Fernandes

Requested By: Anonymous User

"Is everyone in position?"

Erza raised a hand to the small, barely detectable communication device hooked into her ear as Gray's voice buzzed in. There came a chorus of affirmative quips from Lucy, Natsu, and Wendy followed by Happy's characteristic, optimistic "Aye!" before Erza pressed the button on her own earpiece to validate her own position. The team's latest assignment involved staking out a very popular pub where a certain dark wizard was known to frequent. They had been told that he would likely appear tonight to deal in the smuggling of illegal magical artifacts, and so they had assembled to stop the operation short. Her guild members were stationed in various locations throughout the small building, covering all entrances and exits, but Erza's location was the most important... on stage, right in the center of the bar, posing as a singer.

Currently she was eclipsed by the stage curtains, but it was only a minute or so before they would be drawn up and she would be revealed to the small crowd. Erza had managed to get over her stage fright after years of forcing her way into jobs such as this, but that didn't mean it wasn't still unnerving for her to perform in front of a crowd. She inhaled, then exhaled deeply. _All you have to do is sing and look out for the man in the wanted ad. _Eyes closed as she steeled herself, she did not notice that she had been approached until they coughed politely.

"Yes?" she responded automatically as her eyes opened to settle on an intimidated-looking stage hand.

"We're about to go live, Miss Scarlet, and the um, owner was wondering if you intend to, ah, perform like that?" he stammered quietly. Erza's eyebrows shot up as she realized she was still dressed in her usual armor.

"No. Of course not." Ribbons of light flashed around her before enveloping her form, hugging her tightly as her armor phased out of existence. The shimmering light protected her modesty as she pulled her new garments from her magical storage universe. By the time that the shocked stage hand lowered his hand at the dimming of the light, Erza's voluptuous body was now clothed in a skin-tight leotard, mesh stockings and black stilettos, and a pair of bunny ears sticking out of her scarlet hair. A blush painted his cheeks and he murmured his approval before he scampered out, likely to nurse his bleeding nose. Erza chuckled and walked over to the piano, hips swaying with each step, to take her place by the gawking pianist. She leaned over the large instrument and flashed him a wink, making him shut his mouth and find new interest in his music sheets. Suddenly, she heard the whooshing of the red curtains being pulled away from the stage, and she tossed a glance over her shoulder.

The bar was dim, only lit by a ring of circular white lights lining the rim of Erza's performance area. Her trained eyes spotted her cohorts instantly, mingled among the crowd and constantly shifting their gazes to watch the patrons. There was no sign of their target yet, at least not that Erza could see. The chatter faded as soon as the gorgeous wizard appeared, the bar falling into silence as it awaited her singing voice. The quiet was soon replaced by the heavy, dramatic tune spilling from the piano man's expert fingers. Erza inhaled deeply, closed her eyes, and then began to sing.

At one point in her life, her voice would shake and hitch, and she would've been chased of stage in a matter of seconds. However, after careful practice (and a fair bit of encouragement from the ever-supportive Lucy), Erza had conquered her fears and come into her own, performance-wise. Her voice flowed like honey, dripping with emotion as she sang in time with the piano notes of longing and lost love. The bar owner had told her that her intense, dominating looks and personality was perfect for such a performance. After the first verse, Erza opened her eyes and began strutting across the edge of the stage, pausing to lean over in such a way to accentuate her pleasing features and stroke the face of the man nearest the stage. He swooned and nearly passed out into his friends. Erza gave the rest of the crowd a cocky smirk before standing back up and finishing her circuit of the stage, hips swaying and voice thundering in passion.

She came back to the piano and laid herself across the back of it, kicking up her legs with her scarlet hair spilling over her back. In that moment, the lyrics abruptly made her think of Jellal. It took all she could to focus on the task at hand and not lose herself in the thoughts of him. _Why did I think of him singing some stupid love song? _She knew why. She had loved him a long time, but had never worked up the courage to tell him. Erza had a lot of courage for battle and protecting her friends, but it always failed when it came to being honest with him. Her voice took on a more somber tone as her subconscious delved further into the depressing thoughts. As her eyes flickered up to meet the crowd, she could almost see him standing there, watching her with a knowing smile ghosting his lips.

_Wait a minute_.

She blinked, and the phantasm did not vanish. She managed to keep herself singing, but only just barely, while she frantically looked around the rest of the bar. Sure enough, the other members of Crime Sorcieré were strategically positioned throughout the establishment. _No way! Is Jellal here to catch the smuggler as well? _She thought as her heart nearly jumped into her throat and choked out her melodious tune. Trying not to panic and act natural lest she scare off their target, Erza pushed herself upward on the piano, but her arms were shaking slightly. She could feel the nervousness bubbling up inside her; something about Jellal watching her perform was lapsing her back into her stage-fright. Thankfully, the song abruptly ended and the curtain drew shut with Erza's echoing voice singing the last word. As soon as it shut completely, she ceased and collapsed back onto the piano, wheezing and holding her chest in an attempt to still her pounding heart. She could still feel Jellal's dark eyes on her, watching with rapture.

_What the hell is going on here?!_

"Dammit!" There was a thunderous crash as Natsu took out his anger on a nearby trash bin, kicking over the metal container to spill its contents out into the street. He then squatted down while muttering under his breath to retrieve the trash because Lucy scolded him something fierce. He had a right to be annoyed; apparently the culprit had caught wind that his operation had been compromised, and had been a no-show. Erza, now in her trusty armor, crossed her arms as she sighed deeply.

"This is rather unfortunate. Now we are back to square one in hunting him down," she tutted with a click of her tongue. Jellal laughed lightly and rubbed the back of his neck with an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, Erza. I hope our appearance here didn't ruin your mission." Gray and Natsu both slung their heads around at identical moments, mouths open to likely blame it all on Jellal, but a sharp glare from the red-haired warrior immediately made them swallow whatever ill remarks they were about to spew from him. Erza returned to Jellal with a soft smile.

"No, there's no way to tell how he learned this bar was being watched, and by whom. We will just have to gather information on his next movements." Jellal frowned and rubbed his chin, tilting his head to the side and looking up through the corners of his eyes as he pondered something. He then smirked and looked back at Erza.

"We're also interested in bringing this guy down, so why don't we team up?"

When Erza had accepted Jellal's proposal to form a joint effort to take down the smuggler, she had never imagined that things would end up the way they were. She was in the fanciest restaurant in the entire city, dressed in an elegant black dress with her scarlet hair fashioned in an elaborate up-do, sitting across from Jellal who was wearing just a simple tuxedo and that coy, smug smirk of his. By their joint information-gathering, they had learned that the smuggler would be conducting his failed business venture in a more lucrative environment; to avoid the same unfortunate outcome as last time, they had decided that only the two of them should be on scene with the others waiting outside for back-up.

_But still… To pose as a couple on a date? Surely this is too much! _Erza thought wildly. She felt like the room was spinning, and she had the sudden extreme urge to vomit. Her fingers dug into the silky fabric of her dress as she concentrated her gaze on her lap. She was utterly unable to look at him. It was just Jellal, but it was _Jellal_, and under this premise with all the implications… it was liable to drive her insane!

"Erza." His voice somehow sounded like the touch of the smooth silk caressing her nervous fingers. As if called, she glanced up, and was immediately met with his smoldering gaze. "Relax. It's just me, you know." A haze of pink dusted her cheeks. _He saw right through me… _"Your performance was lovely, by the way. Because we were so busy gathering intel, I was never able to tell you." The blush on her cheeks heightened to a shade of carnation. She nervously fidgeted in the chair, unsure how to handle the praise, and dropped her gaze, unable to handle the way he was looking at her... Like a precious object who had captured his attention.

"Y-yes, I've… Been practicing…" She mumbled. She was beginning to grow frustrated with herself. How could she be so confident on the battlefield of war, but such a stumbling fool on in the warzone of love? Though his unyielding stare unnerved her, she could not but help wish to be locked in it, and so her eyes slowly circled back to meet his. His expression had not changed despite Erza's worming about; he just continued to sit there, chin resting on his interlocked hands, those dark eyes absorbing everything about her.

"I would love it if you would sing for me sometime… A _private_ performance, if you will." Erza choked on air at his very blatant and insinuating remark. Her cheeks were surely the shade of her hair now. Her mouth opened and closed, attempting to form words but dismally failing, only managed to produce sputtering gasps. Jellal's smirk widened, and then he began to laugh heartily. "Relax, Erza, I'm only playing the part of the flirtatious date. There's no need to take everything so seriously! I'm only teasing," he grinned widely. Erza's shoulders hunched up as she glowered at him.

"That teasing was in very bad taste!" she scolded him. Jellal continued to laugh. By the time he had finished, Erza was steaming enough to fry an egg on her head. "I hope you're happy."

"I am, because you feel more at ease, don't you?" Erza's mouth fell open. _What a devious ploy! _It had sure worked, too; Erza had more or less forgotten about their environment and operation, and was more relaxed, because now it just felt like she was just spending time with Jellal. That in itself was nerve-wracking in its own right, but she had managed to recover some sense of the defensive decorum that she maintained with him during their normal interactions. As he flashed her a devilish wink, she shook her head and decided to swallow her amusement and embarrassment with wine.

"As cunning as ever."

"I always aim to please," he smirked before glancing off to the side to scan the room. Erza did not need to do so herself; the way his jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed told her well enough that he had locked onto their target. "He's sitting four tables away, to your ten o'clock." Casually sipping at the bitter wine in the crystal glass, Erza languidly turned in her chair as if she were relaxing herself, but cast a sordid gaze in the indicated direction. Sure enough, he was sitting across the room with a handful of well-to-do-looking gentlemen, the picture of decorum and propriety despite the fact that they were illegally dealing forbidden magical artifacts. "I recognize a few of them. Those are some of the most prolific magical artifact dealers in all of Fiore."

"He must have something quite special in stock."

"Let's get a closer look." Without waiting for her agreement, Jellal stood and ironed out the creases of his suit before holding out a hand for her. Erza knew it was important but was a little put-off, and the first thing that came to mind was that they hadn't even eaten anything yet besides some small appetizer salads. _You're not here for the food, Erza; you're here to catch a criminal! _She scolded herself. It really wasn't about the food so much as frantically trying to think up an excuse not to do what Jellal was asking because she was so unsure of what little scheme he was hatching in that handsome head of his. Still, she had to do it. She breathed in deeply before rising from the chair, the picture of beauty with her upturned chin and pin-straight back. Her hand slid smoothly into Jellal's; a jolt of electricity rocketed up her arm as his fingers gently enclosed around it. As if that wasn't enough, he flashed her that irritatingly sexy smirk and brought her hand to his mouth to press his lips against the top of her hand. It took all her willpower not to yank her arm away and maybe whack him upside the head for good measure.

"What are you doing?" she hissed under her breath at him.

"Playing the part. You attract far too much attention, Erza…" With a frantic glance around the room, Erza could easily find that he was right. Her regal, sensual aura had lassoed the attention of the room with frightening ease; men and women alike were looking at her with palpable jealousy, though for far different reasons. While the women in the restaurant were lamenting the fact that they couldn't be her, their male partners were wistfully wishing they could bed her. Such a lecherous thought brought a blush to her cheeks, and, unable to take the implicative stares, she focused her attention on Jellal. Likely sensing her newfound unease, he tugged on her arm to pull her body flush to his, that unrelenting cocky smile painting her face with further hues of red. "_Far_ too much attention. I'm going to have to show this room that you're mine tonight."

As if it were effortless, Jellal had pulled the infallible Erza into a whirlwind from which she could not escape.

Before she knew it, he had swept her to the dance floor, which was conveniently located right next to their target's table. Not that Erza really noticed that; her mind had descended into a fog, with Jellal the only lighthouse that illuminated her misty reality. All she could do was stare like a helpless, trapped rabbit in the grasp of a cunning fox. Erza was painfully aware of his hand running down the bare skin of her arms, leaving goosebumps trailing from his touch, before it jumped to settle firmly on her hip. His other hand still held hers captive, holding it aloft. Her body automatically settled her other on his shoulder, more because she subconsciously knew it was the proper form for a dance than of her own volition. Jellal's eyes glittered like a galaxy, and Erza was lost in their cosmos, an unwitting astronaut plunging into their depths. The string quartet set to their instruments, and with the serene shimmer of a love song, they began to dance.

Erza had never really danced before, but somehow, she did not completely manage to bungle things as Jellal guided her about the dance floor. Her body was pretty much on autopilot, moving at his command like a marionette by its masterful puppeteer. A few other couples danced around them, but Erza was hardly aware of them; her attention was completely captivated by the stunning man before her. The way he fixated on her with that roguishly inviting smile, piloting her body as if he knew it intimately, staring through her into the very depths of her quivering soul, Erza almost thought that he could love her.

"Erza, it would be helpful if you could assist in me keeping an eye on that fellow over there." Her body stiffened as she realized she had been caught red-handed. Her hands weren't the only things red, either; she knew her face was afire as she discreetly peered over Jellal's shoulder to watch the men and try to catch snippets of their conversation. The businessmen looked quite heated now, as if they were not pleased with what they had been offered.

"… Now, gentlemen, there is no need to get so heated. Ten million is quite a gracious place to start the bidding on my part. After all, it's not every day that you're offered a relic of the dark wizard Zeref, is it?" At the mention of their former adversary's name, Erza drew in a sharp breath. Jellal continued to sweep her around the dance floor but took care to keep her well within earshot of the table. "The Magus Staff is an extraordinary magical artifact." A ripple of unease circled through the potential buyers.

"The Magus Staff is also forbidden!"

"What's the Magus Staff?" Erza whispered to Jellal. She had never heard tale of such an artifact. Jellal frowned deeply, staring off at a point beyond her shoulder.

"It's one of the many dark magic artifacts that Zeref created. Apparently the thing channels 'Erasure' magic. Anything the user wants to erase just vanishes without a trace… people, objects, entire armies. Its potential is limitless. That's why it's so dangerous and classified as forbidden," he explained grimly. In the background, the music was reaching a crescendo, the various stringed instruments screaming in melodic cacophony. Erza was about to tune back into the conversation, but Jellal suddenly swept her away from the table in a few whirling spins, leaving her impossible dizzy.

"Jellal, what-"

"He's watching." Erza had to swallow the urge to glance back at the table, knowing that doing so would just confirm the buyer's suspicions. She could feel his prickling gaze searching her back, and was suddenly uncomfortable that her dress plunged in the back and her shoulder blades were on full display. "Erza, you're not very good at espionage, are you?" Jellal grinned, and he stole a loud gasp from her throat as he suddenly hiked her leg up around his waist, pulling her across the dance floor with her heel scratching against the tile. The song had finished and the band had begun playing a simmering, intense beat, a tango; the rest of the patrons had abandoned the effort, leaving the two of them alone- plenty of room for Jellal to do as he wished with her.

"I'm beginning to think that you're enjoying this too much," she pouted up at him as he dropped her leg only to pull her body against his such that there was not a millimeter of space between the fabric of their clothes. Her chest was pressed up against his and her back arched, forcing her to look directly up at him, at that smirk that starting a fire in her belly and those eyes that threatened to strip her armor away and bear her tremoring heart to him. It was hammering against her rib cage, driven crazy by the sheer amount they were touching and the overwhelmingly lusty atmosphere. Jellal's hand was pressed against her lower back, guiding her around the dance floor in a sordid display that commanded the attention of everyone around them.

"Oh, I'm definitely enjoying it." His husky whisper sent a shiver traveling up Erza's spine. Did his face have to be that close? As the music hitched, so did Jellal's moves, and once again Erza was flung about in a complicated turn. Except the music didn't descend back into the intense calm, but exploded into the storm, trapping Erza in its maelstrom and stealing her breath away. Erza didn't even have time to think about where Jellal had learned to dance so expertly as she was whisked around the dance floor; she was a sword in Jellal's hand, brandished around and shining with the light and ringing with the sound of singing steel. Her heels clattered across the dance floor like popping firecrackers, barely striking the shiny tile before they were gone again. As the music crescendoed in a tumultuous symphony, Jellal grabbed Erza and plunged her into a deep bend backwards, holding up one of her legs while the other kept her suspended so far down that a few loose strands of her crimson hair touched the floor. There was a moment of deep silence before the room exploded in impressed claps. Erza's chest was heaving with exertion and her skin was tingling with electricity from the exceptionally… erotic experience. She watched with wide eyes as a bead of sweat rolled down Jellal's face. That smirk was intoxicating now; just looking at it was making her drunk. He eyed her triumphantly before his gaze flickered upwards.

"They're leaving." Erza tipped her head backwards. Though the image was upside-down, she could see the dealer and the businessmen rising from the table to exit down a nearby hallway. She gasped as Jellal suddenly jerked her up and spun her around to stand at his side. He looped her arms in his as he guided her off the dance floor, walking smoothly as if nothing had just happened, but Erza's legs were trembling so much that she could barely walk in her heels. She leaned slightly against his body, and that smirk of his widened. _What is he doing to me? _she thought wildly.

There had always been something explicitly unspoken between Erza and Jellal, but that was all it had ever been; a whisper, a sigh, a wistful fantasy of what may be. This, however… This was not unlike the tango they had just danced to, a rising storm threatening to thunder upon the coast, exploding into a destructive force that would change everything. Erza was but a small vessel caught in the thrashing waves, being borne to whatever island that the hurricane Jellal was leading her towards. Erza had never really expected anything to ever come of the unspoken thing between them, but it was rapidly becoming apparent that she had been very wrong. It both scared and excited her.

But was now _really_ the time?

They tailed the party of criminals outside the restaurant and to the side alley. Their target meandered down to the end, and Erza watched in mild horror as he picked up something long and thin wrapped in cloth from behind a dumpster. He yanked off the cloth to reveal a crooked black staff.

"Jellal, we have to- _Oh_!" Her words were cut off as he suddenly shoved her against the brick wall of the restaurant, hands on either side of her waist as he pinned her there. His face was so close that she could feel his hot breaths on her lips. He was staring out of the corners of his eyes, and she followed suit to see the party of criminals staring at them suspiciously.

"Erza, just follow my lead- and please don't hit me," he mused, and no sooner than he had turned her gaze back to him did he tilt up her face and press his mouth against hers.

Her mind didn't need the Erasure magic to go blank.

Catching the criminals flew to the far reaches of her mind as Jellal's mouth moved rhythmically against hers. If the night had been like a red-hot tango, then their lips were dancing in a smooth, melodious waltz, pure as moonlight and soft as silk. Erza abandoned herself to the calmness of the sea, allowing the breeze of Jellal to drift her further into bliss. She had never realized how much she wanted it until now- to be kissed by him, held by him, _loved _by him.

Too bad it was all an act.

As he relinquished her mouth to pepper kisses over her jawline, down her neck, and across her shoulders, his hands tracing intricate patterns on her sides, Erza felt her eyes flood with water. She could not choke down the small sob that escaped her lungs; it was just so painful, so unfair, that things had turned out this way. Jellal suddenly stopped kissing her too look up at her quizzically. "Erza…?" Her face was contorted in agony as she tried to tell him what was wrong, but she couldn't force the words out of her throat. He watched her, confused and worried, and just so happened to glance out of the corners of his eyes.

It was a good thing he did, or it would've been the end for both of them.

"Look out!" he cried and wrapped her in a tight embrace before flinging himself to the side. They crashed to the ground together, and Erza looked up in time to see a blob of dark energy crash into the place on the wall she had just been. The brick seemed to melt into nothingness, vanishing without a trace to leave a large hole in the structure. The music from the dance floor and the din of conversation drifted out into the alley. Erza tossed a glance over her shoulder to see the dealer brandishing the Magus Staff with a dark sneer.

"Well, that wasn't the demonstration I had in mind, but it'll do, I suppose," he snickered. Erza pushed herself up with a huff, and ribbons of light enveloped her figure as she changed into a more suitable outfit for fighting. Jellal blushed darkly, because his face was extremely close to her chest as she was pretty much bare save for a few ribbons of light in very strategic places, but Erza had finally managed to dispel the fog from her mind now that she was in her element. Speed was obviously going to be her ally so she selected her Flight armor from her vast inventory, cladding herself in the cheetah-patterned, ruffle-adorned armor. She stood up just as her two swords materialized into reality, and spun on her heel to kick off in a savage sprint down the alleyway. A vortex formed in her wake, buffeting the shocked Jellal and inadvertently sending him blasting out into the street.

"She's a Fairy Tail wizard!" the businessmen panicked and attempted to scale the wall behind them, while the startled magical artifact dealer sent another blast of the dark magic careening toward her. Erza ducked to avoid the projectile and it claimed the dumpster instead, melting a hole in it and sending trash spilling out into the alley way.

"Take this!" Erza howled and brought up her swords, then delivered savage blows with the blunt sides to his abdomen. He went down pathetically easily, dropping the staff and flying backwards. He and his compatriots crashed through the brick and mortar to sail several yards down the adjoining alleyway, landing right at a very disappointed Natsu's feet.

"Aw, man… You couldn't save any of the fun for us, Erza?"

With the criminals arrested and the Magus Staff in safe hands, Erza changed back into her dress and walked back into the street where Jellal was still sitting there pouting.

"I think you did that on purpose," he sighed up at her. Erza smiled kneeled down in front of him, offering a hand. He smiled wryly and took it, allowing her to pull him to his feet.

"Consider it payback for all the teasing you've done to me tonight." Now that they were alone again, Erza could feel his lips ghosting across the skin of her neck; she raised a hand to cover it, to chase away the phantasms of his lips that would haunt her for the remainder of the night. As her expression took on an obviously depressed edge, Jellal smiled and took her hand again, kissing the top of it like he had done previously that evening.

"Erza, you really are dense," he mused quietly. Before she could inquire what he meant, he grabbed her by her upper arm and yanked her forward, catching his an intensely passionate kiss. His lips crashed against hers like the waves finally carrying Erza home after what felt like years at sea... home, into Jellal's waiting arms. She melted against him, desperately trying to match the fervent rhythm he was playing against her mouth. His hands snuck into her scarlet hair to pull it loose from its up-do, and he buried them into the wavy, crimped strands as he aggressively but not painfully tousled it loose, the countless bobby pins that his eager fingers plucked free clattering down to the street like rain. Erza's hands ran down his chest, feeling his abdominals even through the thick fabric of his suit flexing powerfully as he leaned further into the kiss. He teased her mouth open to envelop his tongue in her own, twisting and writhing with it in a zealous desire that left her knees weak. As she collapsed against him, held up only by the firm arm around her waist, she felt that fog drifting over her mind again; it was all right, though, because Erza was now safe upon the shores of ardent love, grounded in the man that she had desired for so, so, _so_ long.

She had begun to cry again. Jellal pulled away from her, though her aching lips desired him still; her face followed after his, desperately chasing that feeling, until his hand caught her face and held her still. His thumb swept across her cheek to catch the tears falling like stars to earth.

"I love you," she gasped, desperate, needing him to hear her before the words failed her again. "I love you, Jellal, I want you now and forever, I-"

"It's okay," he crooned softly, killing her babble with the softest of breaths. "You have me, Erza. Now and forever." She felt her throat tighten as the intense emotion that she was feeling choked her, and all she could do was nod. He continued to gently stroke her face even long after her tears had dried. He didn't kiss her anymore, only gazed at her with those eyes like galaxies, the cosmos that Erza wanted to find the farthest reaches of and belong to. _Now and forever. _


	12. Right Here With You

_**Author's Note: **Hello, everyone! It's come to my attention that I've mistakenly been writing Lucy with blue eyes for some time now, a big mistake on my part! I've tried to go back and fix all the errors, but please alert me if I missed one! To the Anon who pointed it out... Thanks (although you didn't have to be so rude about it. I am human, y'know). Just a note to you all, if I do something wrong please correct me, but just be nice about it. I'm an airhead! ^.^" _

Category: Mild Romantic Fluff, Friendship Fluff

Characters: Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster, Juvia Lockser, Lyon Vastia

Requested By: Miss_Leechy (Ao3)

"For the _last_ time, would you two _please_ settle down?" Lucy groaned as she rubbed her temples in a pitiful attempt to stave off the headache that was hammering away in her tender skull. For the sixth time in the last twenty minutes, Gray and Lyon were standing up in the train seat tightly clutching the collars of each other's cloaks, glaring so intensely at one another that sparks jumped between their eyes like lightning bolts. Juvia was no help, sitting next to Lucy clamoring for her beloved Gray to pummel Lyon. _This mission is going to be a nightmare, _she groaned inwardly.

After the conclusion of the Grand Magic Games, life at Fairy Tail had gone back to full-swing, even more busy than before half of the guild had spent six years sheltered in the embrace of the Fairy Sphere. They were constantly being sent on missions, and because the plethora of jobs had the entire guild scattered across the far reaches of Fiore, sometimes they had to form… _unorthodox_ teams. Natsu had been spirited away with Erza and Wendy to hunt some monster or another, leaving Lucy behind at the guild to mope about it- that is, until the Master had summoned herself and Gray to track down and subdue a particularly troublesome band of bandits targeting the peddlers who were traversing the mountain pass now that the snows had melted. He had informed them then that they would be joined by Lyon from Lamia Scale, as he had been monitoring the bandits' movements for some time. Once Juvia caught wind that her darling Gray was going on a mission with her "love rival," she wormed her way into the team… thus bringing them to their present predicament.

"Juvia, my dearest, please come back with me to Lamia Scale and be my bride~! I promise that I will give you everything under the sun and more," Lyon crooned while making heart eyes at the exceptionally disinterested Juvia. She pouted and pushed into Lucy, as if looking for protection. Despite Juvia's incessant fear that Lucy was her rival in love for Gray, they still had a very amicable friendship. Lucy wrapped her arms around Juvia's shoulders with a heavy sigh, not having the heart to tell her that the ice mage's clamor for her affections was not unlike her own groveling for Gray.

"I told you, you stupid bastard! She's not interested! Now will you let it go?" The aforementioned Fairy Tail ice wizard snapped while knocking Lyon upside his pale blue head. Lyon whined loudly and crouched down in the seat, nursing the lump peeking out between his scruffy strands of styled hair.

"Ah, Gray, you are defending me so eagerly~ Have you finally realized your love for Juvia?" the girl sighed dreamily as she clasped her hands together to gaze lovingly at the man. Gray's face turned a pretty shade of carnation pink.

"It's not like that! I'm just not gonna let this asshole cart off one of our best mages!" Though he was trying to prove to Juvia that their relationship was nothing but platonic, she heard only the compliment; a delighted trill spilled from her lips as she wriggled around on the train seat. Lucy could probably reach out and catch the little hearts that were blooming from her body. _This is ridiculous, _she thought, but mostly in amusement. She was quite used to the unending amount of antics that the various Fairy Tail mages produced, and this sordid love triangle was but one of the many on the list. The three mages continued their back-and-forth as the train clattered onward down the tracks with Lucy not saying much of anything at all. Finally, she decided to have a little fun of her own.

"Ahh, I'm sorry to interrupt your fervent love triangle, but I have to go to the bathroom, so could you let me by, please? Or have you all forgotten that I'm here?" she sighed with dramatic exasperation as she rose from her place beside the window. For good measure and playfulness, she painted an expression of fake sourness onto her features. She planned to just squeeze by them, honestly expecting that her little outburst wouldn't deter them in the slightest, but to her shock, they all suddenly fell into stunned silence and turned to stare at her with wide eyes. It was Lucy's turn for her face to take on a pink hue. "Erm, uh, thanks!" she squeaked before literally jumping out of the train booth to skitter down towards the restroom as fast as her feet could take her.

_That was so awkward! _She thought in mortification as she darted into the bathroom and all but slammed the door behind her. She hadn't meant to cause a scene; she had only been teasing, after all… Or had she? She walked over to the sink, and her melancholy expression betrayed the truth in her heart. On some level, it _did_ bother her. She envied Juvia and Lyon, having someone that you were so desperately in love with that you were willing to declare it openly and fight for their affections. Lucy wasn't sure what love was. How would she ever know it if she ever felt it? Then, there was something about Gray's response to Lyon's outrageous proposals that just… unsettled her. He was so fervent about protecting Juvia. Why did she have the quiet, selfish wish that she was in her place…?

"Ugh! You're losing it, Lucy!" She whipped the knob on the sink, and cold water gushed forth from the faucet. She cupped some of the crystalline, clear liquid and splashed it onto her face, one, two, three times for good measure. Her cheeks stung with the brisk cold of the water, but it helped to cool the confusing fire in her mind. She was just tired from all their bickering; there was no way that she was really feeling absurd things like that…

"Lucy?" Gray's voice drifted through the door alongside a pair of light knocks. She hastily turned off the water and used the soft towel hanging by the mirror to quickly dry her face, then hurried to the door and opened it lest he think something was actually off. She prepared her best smile.

"Yeah?" He looked taken aback at her apparent cheerfulness, and stood there for a second to prepare a response. That pink shade returned to his face, a barely detectable hint of rose, and cast his gaze away while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Uh, I'm… Sorry about all that craziness in there. That got out of hand. You know we… I wouldn't just ignore you like that. You're a valuable member of the team and guild too." Lucy expected to feel the hot flush of guilt since her little prank had resulted in such remorse from him, but to her shame, she felt the cool trickle of relief flooding her system instead. Lucy smiled softly, genuinely, and reached out to gently place a hand on his upper arm. As her hand curled around the thick muscle of his biceps, she suddenly was acutely aware of its shape and form, making her blush that her mind would even sail to such things considering the atmosphere.

"It's okay, Gray," she said quickly after reigning in her thoughts. "I really shouldn't have said what I said. You three are just having fun."

"No, Lucy," he refused adamantly. Lucy blinked, surprised, then gasped as his hand suddenly flew to the back of her head to pull it forward such that their foreheads were touching. He was smirking confidently at her, a complete contrast to her bewildered, wide-eyed, blushing gape. "I'll promise you here and now. You aren't gonna feel left behind anymore on this mission." The cool, icy fires of his irises blazed into her comparably muted brown ones, dimming as the emotion welled up inside of her. She had been so insistently trying to bury those feelings so as not to upset him, but Gray had so effortlessly seen through her façade. Her face scrunched up as she felt tears actually welling up in her eyes, so moved by his concern for her. She managed to keep them in, though, and managed a quiet yet heartfelt, "Thanks, Gray."

* * *

The gravel of the mountain path crunched under Lucy's feet as she carefully traversed the terrain. The mountain pass wasn't altogether terrible, especially since the winter snows had melted fully and left the low-lying area blanketed in rich tall grasses and aromatic wildflowers blooming in pastels, but the incline was still steep and with the numerous pebbles still slicked with cold water lining the natural walkway, she had to take care not to slip. She had already busted her tail at the base of the path and given Gray a great shot up her skirt (and of course Juvia had been none too happy about that), and was not eager to repeat the event. She kept glancing down as she followed the other wizards up through the mountains. When she looked up, every so often she would find that Gray had trailed behind a little and was watching her, as if he were trying to be prepared if she fell again. The thought brought a hazy hue to her cheeks that mirrored the pink bell-shaped wildflowers growing amongst the grassy rubble.

In order to track down their mountain bandits, the team had decided to pose as merchants braving the pass. They had acquired knapsacks and wares from the hiring fabric seller who had been attacked by them. The packs were purely for aesthetic purposes and were filled with very cheap cloths. One wouldn't think that light fabric would be heavy, but apparently enough of it could weigh a considerable amount; Lucy kept having to adjust her pack as it dug deeply into her back to leave sore, red imprints into her skin, and the blistering heat generated by the friction of the heavy fabric rubbing against her clothes left her pouring with sweat. She didn't want to seem weak, though; no one else seemed to be having problems carrying the fake wares, and so she decided to keep quiet about it. _Suffer through it. It builds character. _

"Lucy?" Once again, Gray's gentle yet adamant calling of her name surprised her. She stopped in her tracks to look at him. He had decided meandering at a distance was no longer preferable, and had migrated right to her side. "You look tired. Do you need me to carry that for you for a while?"

"No, no, no, of course not!" she refused vehemently while waving her arms about. The rapid motions combined with her unsteady posture on the inclined pathway caused her to stumble a bit. Before she could even think of catching herself, Gray's hand snapped out to grab her elbow and steady her. She flushed, mumbling a gratuitous remark and sweeping a bit of her sweat-slicked blonde hair that had fallen from her pigtails from her face. "I'm fine, really! This pack is nothing!" He looked like he was about to say something, but Juvia interrupted whatever thought he was having by jumping over to latch onto his arm.

"Ah, Gray, Juvia is so tired~ Please carry my bag for me!" Gray's face scrunched up in annoyance and he opened his mouth to object. His refusal was drowned out by Lyon's canary-like trilling.

"Juvia, my dear! I'll carry your pack for you!"

"Juvia didn't ask _you_!" _There they go again, _Lucy thought with a lop-sided smirk. Juvia and Lyon began bickering back and forth, but shockingly, Gray did not come to the water mage's rescue; instead, he turned to Lucy with an oddly serious expression.

"Really, Lucy, are you all right? I don't want you to be tired if we have to fight for real." Lucy's eyebrows knitted themselves together on her forehead. Surely the situation with the mountain bandits wasn't that big of a deal… right? Then again, the mission had necessitated four mages, some of the most powerful mages around, at that. The fabric seller they had met with had some pretty nasty wounds, too, nearly covered head-to-toe in bandages… And from what she had spied in his little shop, his accompanying merchants hadn't fared well either. After looking at the facts, Lucy was inclined to abandon her pride and rest for a moment.

"Gray, suddenly… I have a bad feeling about this mission."

"Don't worry, Lucy. I'm here with you, aren't I?"

No sooner than those words left his mouth did a confident guffaw echo through the small mountain valley.

"Greetings, travelers! You look so weary with those heavy packs… Why don't we take those off your hands for you?" The four wizards instinctively fell into a back-to-back diamond formation at the appearance of their enemy. Lucy swallowed nervously at the unsettling realization that her uneasiness had not been ill-founded.

They were surrounded.

The man who had spoken and was apparently the leader of the bandits was perched on a ledge about ten feet up the mountainside. His troop of thieves were spread out in a circle around them, either standing on some jutting outcropping in the rock or blocking their exit on either side- about twenty in all, enough to make a small guild. Lucy's eyes narrowed as she fingered the keys hanging in the loop of her skirt, waiting for someone to move.

Gray did first.

"Ice Make, bow!" He shouted as he threw off the pack (and his clothes) and formed the signature incantation of his fist against his palm. Icy magic swirled in his hands before rapidly crystallizing into a sturdy longbow. Gray drew back the jagged arrow notched into the icy bow, his arm muscles flexing with the strain of drawing it back over his shoulder, before he released the projectile at the leading bandit. Lucy barely had enough time to trace the movements with her eyes, and thought for sure that the man wouldn't have time to move, but Gray's ice arrow embedded itself into the solid mountain rock rather than his body. It wasn't just any rock, either; it had seemingly grown up out of the ledge, a towering flat-topped spire that had boosted him up another five feet.

"He's a mage! He must use Earth magic!" Lucy cried as she whipped one of her keys off the keyring and similarly discarded her useless pack. "Open, Gate of the Lion- _Leo_!" He was always her go-to in a sticky situation. Magic power manifested around the end of the key before pouring out in beams of light around her, and her Celestial Spirit Leo stepped through the cosmic gate to stand in front of her with the same cocky smirk he always wore. He pushed his sunglasses up his face, golden-orange eyes flickering around to size up what competition Lucy was up against this time.

"Lovely to see you again, Lucy. Is that a new outfit?" he purred, turning to her with a lascivious grin.

"There's no time for flirting! Would you get serious?" she scolded him by whacking him over the head. He pouted at her while rubbing the now sore spot in his scalp, then grinned wickedly.

"That's what I love about you, Lucy, you're so strong and independent~!" he crooned before whipping around, golden light blooming at each of his curled fists. "I'll show these losers that it was a mistake messing with my master!" he snarled before diving into the nearest pack of bandits. Gray was shooting arrow after arrow at the earth mage, who was avoiding them embarrassingly easily by hopping from rocky ledge after rocky ledge that he was pulling out of the mountain to serve as his footholds. He wasn't the only mage in the group, either; Lyon was contending with a pair of them to her right while Juvia was dealing with another pack of them behind her. Though they had numbers, the most of them fell within the first ten minutes of fighting and littered the path as unconscious bodies.

Lucy glanced over her shoulder as she felt someone plop against her back. Juvia had retreated to fight back-to-back with her, and was panting heavily with a flushed face. _She must be fighting a tough opponent! _The aforementioned foe stood across the path amongst his fallen brethren, barely fazed.

"Leo! Come back over here; I need you!" Lucy ordered her celestial companion as she shoved Juvia behind her to face her new opponent. Leo did as bid, dropping the man he had been holding up by the collar of his shirt and debating pummeling further to spring in front of her, looking as sophisticated but oddly suavely bloodthirsty as ever. His hands hummed with the light energy as he balled up his fists and gestured with a nod of his head for the other wizard to come at him.

"Be careful! He's very strong!" Juvia sighed wearily as she slumped against Lucy's back. Lucy couldn't do any physical fighting herself, so she did what she did best- serve as a pillar of support for her friends that could. She braced herself so that Juvia did not fall, but could lean against her and lay her face down into her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Juvia! Just rest a minute. Leo and I will have this taken care of in no time!"

"You said it!" Leo grinned cheekily and sprang at the mage. Their foe was apparently one who could use dust rather than earth itself, and it very soon became apparent why Juvia had been having such a difficult time battling him; he could turn his entire body into a cloud of dust so that Leo's swings had no effect, and would rematerialize right behind him to deliver savage counterattacks. Lucy winced as he took a particularly hard kick to the back, sending him flying back across the mountain path to land a crumpled heap at his summoner's feet. Lucy kneeled down to place a palm on his back while he attempted to struggle back to his feet. "Lucy… I can… Fight a little longer…" He suddenly began coughing and thick red blood splattered across the rough stone.

"No, Leo, you've done enough! Go home now!" she ordered. Leo grumbled something about 'I'll get that bastard next time' before dissolving into bubbles of ephemeral light, retreating to the Celestial Realm. Lucy straightened back up to glare at the man who had given her trusted partner such a beating. "You'll pay for that!"

"How so, Celestial Mage? You can't fight on your own and your spirits are no match for me!"

"Tough luck, pal! I've figured out your weakness!" she huffed before taking another key from her belt. Instead of beginning the incantation, she reached sideways to plunge it into Juvia's body, which naturally reacted by melting into cold water. "Open, Gate of the Water-Bearer: _Aquarius!_"

"Good idea, Lucy! We'll overwhelm him with so much water that he won't be able to turn to dust!" Juvia beamed confidently and morphed her body fully into water so that Lucy could summon Aquarius. Light spilled through her amorphous body from the key, streaming with the flow of the current before exploding into majestic force. Aquarius jumped through her watery form before landing on the mountain path behind Lucy, and then proceeded to smack Lucy on the back of her head.

"What have I told you about summoning me in this girl's body- and what _is_ this place? Are we in the mountains?" she screeched angrily. Lucy whipped around with a deranged scowl, hands-on-hips and teeth grinding.

"Do you have to be such a bitch every time I summon you?! You know I only do it when I'm in big trouble!" Aquarius jumped forward to slam her forehead into Lucy's, but she had too much pride to let the blow knock her backwards.

"You'd better watch your mouth! I'm _this_ close to leaving you to drown here!" the spirit yelled back, pinching her fingers nearly together for emphasis.

"Look out!" Juvia's scream made Lucy whip around, just in time for the dust mage to shift into form right in front of her with a sharp dagger poised to slit her throat. Lucy's eyes went wide, reflecting the glint of the sunlight across the metallic surface that was plunging towards her jugular. Rather than the cold bite of the steel blade, she felt the breath get knocked of her as Aquarius grabbed her around the belly and yanked her backwards. Juvia, who had comparably less fear of being decapitated, merely turned her neck and head into water and his arm splashed harmlessly through it. Aquarius set Lucy down and narrowed her eyes at the mage, seemingly having calmed down now that she released what a formidable foe she was up against. Lucy scrambled up to her feet.

"Juvia! My hand!" she cried and outstretched her arm. Juvia, in full water form as the dust mage in vain attempted to slice through her amorphous body, arced through the air in a sparkling stream before solidifying beside her and taking her hand. "Okay, Aquarius, Juvia- let's give him all we've got!" Lucy summoned up all the magic power she could muster in her body to help boost Aquarius' water attack that she was gathering in her magic vase, and she felt the whirlpool of frothing water swirling around her as Juvia summoned up her signature vortex move. Just before Juvia released it, Aquarius flung her swirling water into the fray, drastically ramping up the force of the maelstrom.

"Take this- _Unison Raid_!" the two Fairy Tail mages shouted together as the waterspout burst forth, with the two of them safe in the eye of the storm. The enemy mage blanched and attempted to dissolve into dust and disperse himself, but the sheer volume and speed of the water snatched up all the particles before they even formed a cohesive cloud. The whirlpool slammed into the mountainside and actually drove a deep, circular score into its surface several feet deep; when the water finally lost its momentum and splashed to the ground to be absorbed by the thick, loamy soil, the mage was left slumped over and unconscious in the indentation. Lucy and Juvia beamed and clasped their hands together as they did an elated victory dance.

"We did it! Thank you, Aquarius!"

"Hmph. Just don't summon me to such a dump next time," she sniffed while tossing her hair, but gave her a playful smirk before retreating back through the portal. Lucy turned to smile brightly at Juvia.

"We do make a pretty good team, love-rival," the blue-haired woman joked with a soft grin. Before Lucy could rebuke her for the not-so-tasteful jibe, she exhaled deeply and slumped down to her knees.

"Juvia!"

"I'm okay… I just used too much magic power…"

"Hey, girls, what a move!" Lucy looked up from where she was crouched in front of Juvia to see Gray and Lyon walking back up the path. In the near distance she could see ice formations shimmering in the sunlight intermingled with hard, stony structures, evidence of a hard-fought battle. Lucy stood up to trot over to them, and without thinking, assessed Gray for injuries. He was dotted with a few scraped and bruises, as well as a bleeding laceration on his biceps. Lucy dug into the nearest pack and procured a strip of cloth.

"Here, let me bandage that for you!"

"Oh, what? Erm, thanks," he blushed as Lucy, without waiting for permission, pushed his arm up so she could wind the bandage around the thick muscle of his arm. Even relaxed, it was so thick that she nearly couldn't tie the bandage off for running out of fabric, but she managed to secure it with a small knot. She grimaced as a faint stain of red blossomed in the blue fabric, dying it purple, but thankfully it only marked the length of the laceration and didn't spread much further, indicating that pressure had been applied correctly. Once she was finished, she glanced up to his face to see him looking away uncomfortably with that same blush painting his cheeks.

Thankfully Lyon was too busy doting on Juvia to notice and make fun of him for it.

"Juvia, my love! Are you tired? I will carry you down the mountain so we can find you a doctor!" Juvia reacted by pushing his very close face away, making him fall on his rump in a very uncool move.

"No! Only my darling Gray can carry me!"

"What happened to the earth mage?" Lucy asked Gray with a bemused smile. If they had enough energy to get back to their antics, they were all right.

"He ran off down the mountain path. He gave Lyon and I a pretty rough time of it, even with the both of us, but we managed to wound him pretty badly. I'm sure there's a blood trail we can track him down with. He won't be able to contend with all four of us," he smirked. He went to slide his hands into his pockets, realized he was wearing nothing but boxers, and grimaced. "Goddammit, where are my clothes?"

"Hehehe, they're right here," Lucy laughed and pranced over to where his cloak and pants lie discarded, amazingly untouched considering all the battling that had been going on. As she leaned over to pick them up and her fingers dug into the soft cloth to grab ahold of them, she heard that same callous laugh, only weaker yet more deranged than before. Her head snapped up to see the earth mage standing at the point where the path curved downwards, bleeding heavily from a fist-sized hole in his abdomen and primed to deliver what looked like a devastating move… right at Juvia, who was still collapsed from exhaustion.

"You two thought you had gotten the best of me, huh? Too bad! I'm ending all of your pathetic lives right here, starting with one of these bitches!" Two gigantic earthen serpents blasted out of the rock formations on either side of him and rocketed towards the startled Juvia, who was too weak to even turn herself to water and just attempted to scramble away on her hands and knees, but collapsed onto her belly with a distressed cry. Lyon jumped up to her defense, forming a giant icy bear that roared in anger and lumbered around in front of them, maw open and ready to tear into the earthy snakes' throats. Gray, sprinting across the path with his ice magic churning in his hands, ran up to touch the bear's solid side and apply a suit of icy armor to its stocky body for extra protection. The bear reared up on its hind legs, making the ground rumble with each step, and looked like it would provide plenty of protection for Lucy's comrades.

The earth mage snapped his finger and the snakes instantaneously changed direction, arcing backwards in loop-de-loops to slither rapidly in Lucy's direction.

"_Lucy_!" Gray screamed so loudly that his voice cracked, sliding in the pebbly pathway to try and get to her, but there was no time. Lucy didn't even have time to summon up a defensive spirit like Aries before the snakes both crashed into her at once. Her agonized scream was lost amongst the crumbling and rumbling of the earth as she was crushed against the mountainside, the shockwave rippling across the two earthen snakes to obliterate them into pebbles. Lucy lay suspended in the crater the blow had made for a moment before her battered body twitched, causing her to fall down flat on her face against the path. She couldn't even appreciate the soft grass that cushioned her fall because the slightest of movements made her nerves blaze with excruciating pain, like her blood had been replaced with burning lava. It felt like every bone in her body had been ground to dust, and the way her body was vibrating with the aftershock didn't help matters. Somehow, a low, whimpering groan slipped from her lips, but she couldn't hear it for the thunderous ringing in her ears.

Yet she heard Gray calling for her.

"Lucy! Lucy, can you hear me? Hey, say you're all right, please!" He had appeared at her side like he had teleported there, rolling her over onto her back. The action made Lucy shriek and writhe about in agony, tearing up the grass with the intense thrashes of her body.

"It hurts! It hurts!" she sobbed pathetically. Lucy hated to be thought weak in front of her guild mates, but dear God, her body hurt so bad that she didn't care. Gray's hands fluttered over her body, not touching her for fear of hurting her further but acting like he wanted to caress her and soothe her. Lyon had Juvia slumped over his shoulder; the situation was now too dire for her to complain, apparently. Lucy could see them staring down at her with deep concern through the tears blurring her vision. Despite the pain still radiating through her, she suddenly felt the desperate need to touch Gray, and so she forced the muscles in her arm to contract enough for her to grab his hand. She hadn't the strength to squeeze it, but feeling his big, warm hand envelop hers sent a soothing flood of calm spreading up her arm into her body, somehow chasing the pain away somewhat. "Nnh…" she mumbled incoherently as her eyes fluttered with the sudden onset of drowsiness.

"Well, well, well. To be honest, I'm shocked she survived that. I've taken down full-grown men with that move," the earth mage tutted from where he was still bleeding out at the end of the mountain path. At the sound of his smug voice, Gray's face contorted into the demonic visage of pure rage. Lucy whimpered lightly as his hand squeezed hers very tightly for a second before he jerked up and whipped around. Ill intent was practically pouring off him in visible foggy waves.

"I'm going to _kill_ you."

"Give it your best shot, you rotten bastard."

"Lyon! Juvia!" Gray barked as he walked out into the middle of the path, far enough away from Lucy so that she wouldn't get caught in the onslaught. The mage, thoroughly weakened by his earlier flashy move, could only muster sending a wave of earthen spikes at Gray, who created a large ice sword and sliced through them like butter. This gave Lyon enough time to bring Juvia to his side, and the two ice mages supported her between them. "Juvia, can you manage another Unison Raid?"

"Anything to avenge Lucy!" Juvia asserted with a determined frown and a sure nod. Lucy found herself smiling weakly. She had half-expected her to say, "Anything for my darling Gray!" The earth mage was angry now and was just carelessly flinging earth boulders at the three mages, but between Lyon and Gray's ice attacks, they might as well have been pebbles with how easily they reduced them to such. Once Juvia had charged up her magic power, with the swirling maelstrom around them, the earth mage realized he had lost and tried to run. Lyon and Gray plunged their hands into the swirling water to freeze it into sharp crystalline forms, Gray's inorganic magic producing hundreds of pointed daggers while Lyon- probably trying to show off for Juvia- sent a deluge of stampeding horses into the watery whirlwind.

"_Unison Raid!_" Lucy could just barely hear the earth mage's deranged, tormented screams over the torrential deluge of water that blasted into him and sent him careening down the sharp inclined path. There was the distance sound of his crash into the ground followed by a low rumble. Lucy had watched the entire thing as it played in her vision upside-down as she was still lying on her back, but even with the inverted image, their teamwork had been impressive. Suddenly, bitter tears flooded her eyes.

_So impressive… They hadn't needed me at all… Gray makes a much better team with them than he does with me… _The last thought surprised her so much she gasped aloud. Where had such a premise come from? She had no clue. The tromping of boots against gravel pulled her out of her insane thoughts. She could see Gray's legs approaching in her field of vision, but not Lyon or Juvia's.

"Where…?" she mumbled. His full form appeared overhead as he crouched over her, leaned over opposite of her.

"I sent Lyon and Juvia down there to see if the problem is taken care of for sure. Lyon's still in pretty good shape, so he'll take care of Juvia." _He wanted to take care of me… Alone… _

"Gray… Do you think… You and Juvia will convince Lyon to join Fairy Tail?" the question came out of her mouth largely without her willing, but once it did, she knew there was no taking it back and decided to wait for the answer with bated breath. He stared down at her incredulously.

"What? What the hell kind of question is _that_, Lucy?" She puffed out her cheeks and averted her gaze.

"Well… You three make such a good team… I really… Don't have any place in it after all," she whispered. She had thought such feelings had been absolved on the train, but that hadn't been the case at all. They had lingered inside of her like some poisonous wound which had now infected her entire body and prevented her from thinking of anything else. As the silence settled between them, she became increasingly desperate for an answer until she forced herself to look back at him, finding him looking at her in a mixture of amusement and pity.

"You dumbass. I wouldn't form a permanent team with that asshole in a thousand years," he laughed breathily. He shifted around so that he was sitting on his knees at her side, and then very hesitantly reached down to slip his arms underneath her, one supporting her neck while the other pulled her body into him. Lucy didn't hurt quite as much now but her body was still incredibly sore, and so she flinched at the movements despite their overwhelming softness. He settled her into his lap. Lucy wasn't entirely sure why he had done so in the first place, and so a smoldering fire graced her cheeks as she continued to look anxiously up at him. "Why do you think you don't belong, Lucy?" he asked quietly.

"I…" The words faltered in her throat. She didn't want to admit it aloud. _I'm jealous… _came the finishing thought, and her bottom lip wobbled as she realized how stupidly pathetic that was. _I'm jealous and afraid. _"I don't… want to… lose you," she answered very carefully. She dropped her gaze because she was again unable to look at him. Gray was pretty dense and she didn't know if he would realize the connotation that Lucy was putting behind those words, but she didn't want to have to admit it aloud. Lucy loved him, and she was terrified that he didn't love her, and that she would be left behind once he realized it. She wasn't going to look at him, but his hand cupper her cheek and forced her to do so. He still had that expression of mixed pity and laughter, but there was an undeniable warmth burning in the dark of his eyes that sent Lucy's heart to thumping in her chest.

"You won't, Lucy. I'm right here with you." Tears flooded Lucy's eyes. He meant so much more than he could express with those words, and she knew it. She choked out his name, overcome with emotion, but he just shushed her and swept his hand over her bruised, scraped face, carrying away her mangled strands of blonde hair. He leaned down to gently kiss the large, dark bruise on her forehead, then the forming bags beneath her tired eyes, then the thin scratch across her cheek. Finally, he softly settled on her busted lip. Lucy's eyes fluttered closed so she could savor the feeling of his mouth pressing against hers. It was tender and intimate, but still so much emotion passed between them that it stole Lucy's breath away nonetheless. He pulled back after a moment, but only just so, and as he spoke, he whispered the words against her lips, "Always."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Wahhhhhhh! Juvia has _lost_!" came the upsetting wail that jerked every muscle in both Gray and Lucy's bodies. Their faces flew apart to look down the path at the origin of the cry to see Juvia slumped down to her knees sobbing pathetically while Lyon attempted to console her. He wasn't even really flirting, but Juvia perceived it as such and wildly shook her head back and forth as she suffered through her heartbreak. "Juvia can't believe it! Lucy really was a love-rival and now Gray's heart belongs to _herrrrrrr_!"

"She's taking this better than I thought she would. I half-expected her to try and murder the both of us," Gray laughed under his breath. Lucy gave him a wan smile before turning her attention to her distraught friend.

"I'm sorry, Juvia. I didn't really intend for it to turn out this way…"

"Do not apologize!" she screeched suddenly and looked up from burying her teary face into her hands to point at Lucy, which made her stiffen. "Juvia admits defeat! I lost fair and square, but Lucy has to promise that she will cherish Gray forever and ever! Because if you don't, Juvia will steal him away from you!" Though it sounded mildly threatening, Lucy knew that Juvia was trying to be encouraging of the relationship and root for Lucy in her own weird way. Lucy giggled and reached up to wrap her arms around Gray's neck and lean up to peck him on the cheek.

"Of course! I'll be right there with him, always."


	13. A Breath of Spring in Autumn

Category: Mild Romantic Fluff

Characters: Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster

Requested By: Anonymous User

_**Alternatum to Keep Me Warm **_

"Stop right there, thief!" Lucy yelled after the cloaked man that was fleeing down the back alley in which she was standing. She crouched down beside the distraught jewelry store owner who was sitting on his knees in the gaping hole that had been blasted in the side of his building by the flashy burglar. His mouth hung open and he seemed to be too shell-shocked to care that he was breathing in the dust that was still raining from the crumbling bricks of his ruined wall, but when Lucy addressed him, he turned a hazy gaze on her. "Don't worry, sir! Fairy Tail won't let you down! Now come on, boys, let's catch that phantom thief!" she crowed and hopped to her feet while clapping her hands together, and as if she had summoned them like her Celestial Spirits, Gray and Natsu appeared on either side of her- with Happy of course flapping over Natsu's shoulder.

"Right! I'm all fired up! Time to earn us some dinner, 'ey, Happy?"

"Aye! Steamed fish! I want steamed fish!" the cat familiar squealed in response. Natsu grimaced in disgust as the little blue kitty began drooling all over his shoulder. He hastily pushed Happy a few inches to the side so the saliva would instead drip down his chin onto the cobblestone ground.

"Is the only thing you two ever think about _food_?" Gray snorted in derision, then grinned at Lucy while slamming his fist into his palm. "Whatever. Let's can this guy!" In unison, they took off down the alleyway after the cloaked figure. For a burglar, he wasn't exceptionally fast, and the three mages plus Happy were very quickly able to spy the edge of his hooded coat flapping around the corners of the labyrinthine arrangement of alleyways. As she dashed alongside the two boys, she yanked one of her keys from her golden keyring and pointed it out in front of her.

"Open, Gate of the Archer! _Sagittarius_!" A white ball of light beamed on the edge of the key before exploding forth in streaming ribbons to form the familiar form of the archer man dressed in the comical horse costume. He came into existence running as well, his long legs matching Lucy's stride as he asked how he could be of service to her. At this time, the thief was in clear sight, and Lucy pointed to the large brown sack of stolen goods that he was hauling over his shoulder.

"Understood!" The Celestial Spirit quipped as he skidded to a halt and plucked an arrow from his quiver. The mages continued their hot pursuit as he notched it into the bow and drew it back over his shoulder in a powerful shot, one eye closed as he carefully watched his target and the pursuers to ensure a clear shot. Lucy heard the distance _thwong_ of the taut string followed by the shrill whistle of the feathered projectile streaming through the air. It clipped a few of her blonde hairs as it shot over her shoulders, making her bark at Sagittarius in protest, before turning forward again to find that the arrow had successfully done its job. It had clipped through the fragile fabric of the cheap sack, and Lucy watched with a triumphant grin as the frayed ends rapidly came undone to split the sack in two. The thief exclaimed in alarm as his precious gold and silver and jewels spilled from the sack like custard from a squeezed pastry; they rained to the ground in a glittering parade, twinkling like beautiful bells to signal his defeat. No sooner had he skidded to a halt to try and salvage some of his lost cargo did Happy swoop down to pick up Natsu and bear him like a screaming bullet through the alley.

"Take this!" Natsu roared as his arm burst into intense red flames. Like they had a life of their own, they licked eagerly at the wall as he passed it, leaving burning soot marks in the surface of the bricks. Gray had stopped once he realized that Natsu could take him out in one hit, but Lucy kept running a few paces, just in case.

She soon realized her mistake.

"Lucy! You're too close!" Gray hollered as Natsu's flames burst into a very unnecessary inferno, taking the form of a massive draconic wing. As he jerked his arm back to prepare for a punch, the roiling flames swept back towards Lucy; with an alarmed shriek, she screeched to a halt and threw up her arms in some pathetic attempt to shield her head. She felt the searing (and unfortunately familiar) pain of his flames greedily biting into her skin all down her front. Thankfully, her arms and legs took most of the brunt, and even then, they were second-degree burns at worst. Her clothes shielded her more vulnerable areas from severe damage. As Natsu swung forward to slam the thick of his arm into the thief's throat and clothesline him, the flaming wing went with him and left Lucy in the cooling chill of the night air.

"Ungh!" she grunted in mild pain as she fell down onto her knees. She then recoiled as the now-sensitive skin of her anterior calves and knees met the harsh, unforgiving rough stone of the alleyway floor. The little gravel pebbles and gritty cobblestone bricks sank millions of pointy teeth into her seared flesh to send even more pinpricks of discomfort to her already overwhelmed nerves. She looked down at herself to assess the severity of the damage; her arms and legs were pink with burned skin but the flames hadn't penetrated but a layer of so; honestly, the worst part was that she was now down to her panties- the only remnants of her clothes were the shreds of fabric on her backside, which had not been subject to the intense fire. She was just tying off the salvageable strip around her lightly burned bust when Gray ran up and crouched down beside her.

"Lucy! Are you okay?!"

"I'm all right. Not even crispy."

"Natsu, you idiot!" Gray yelled at the dragon-slayer as if he had completely ignored Lucy's affirmation that she was just fine. "You shouldn't use techniques like that without warning us! You've gone and burned Lucy all up!" The pink-haired man looked over, momentarily distracted from holding the _very_ crispy and unconscious jewelry thief by the collar of his clothes. Once he saw Lucy sitting on her knees and nearly naked, he dropped him and trotted over to survey the extent of her injury. He squatted down in front of her, looking her up and down, and rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Sorry, Lucy…"

"No! It's fine! I knew you were about to attack him; really, I should've known better and stayed back like Gray…" she apologized quickly while waving her hands in dismissal. Really, she should've known better; it was Natsu, after all.

"Hell no! Don't apologize to him, Lucy!" Gray grunted while continuing to glare daggers at Natsu. "He needs to take care to not get his comrades caught up in his attacks."

"I said I was sorry, so stop yellin' at me!" Natsu growled and stood up to push his face into Gray's. As their foreheads butted, a vein popped out in Gray's forehead, but he didn't back down.

"I'm not yelling! I'm talking loudly in your direction!" Lucy was sure the volume of his voice qualified as a yell, but she didn't say anything. The two continued to quibble back and forth, and she just let them; the jewelry thief was unconscious still, so he wouldn't run off.

She shivered, suddenly aware of how chilly the night was now that she had been reduced to only scraps of clothing. It was late in autumn, on the cusp of winter, and now that the sunlight had long since faded from the sky, there was no shielding from the brisk cool. She ran her hands lightly up her arms, ignoring the stinging for the sensation of immediate warmth that the friction between her skin was able to provide her. Still, she couldn't produce enough and so she grew colder, to the point that she was shuddering and her teeth had begun to clatter.

"Can you two knock it off and tie him up already? I'm cold…" She had meant to put some bite into her words, but she could hardly get them out of her mouth for how much her chin was wobbling with her shivers, and so she just sounded terribly pathetic. Natsu looked down at her before shooting one last glare at Gray before stomping over to the thief, who was just rousing. Natsu socked him in the face and he was out like a light instantly. Lucy pushed herself up to her feet, hoping that without the cobblestone sapping her body heat right out of her legs she would be able to warm up a little, but was dismayed to find that it only exposed more of her body to the breeze rushing through the backstreet. She debated curling up into a ball to thermate that way until she felt something soft and warm fall over her shoulders. "Eh-?" She then sputtered in confusion as something was pulled over her head. She wriggled around, hearing Gray's impatient voice to tell her to be still through the rustling of the thick fabric in her ears; she squeaked in shock as she felt his rough, big hands snap to her hips to spin her around.

"I said be still!" Absolutely perplexed but realizing she would just tangle herself up thrashing around, she obediently stilled her body so that Gray could shove the garment over her. Her head popped out and she looked down to see him wrestling her arms through the sleeves of his shirt.

"Hey, what're you-?" she pouted and began worming her arms through the sleeve holes. She was perfectly capable of dressing herself. Once her hands appeared at the base of the long sleeves, she attempted to smooth down the fabric embracing her midriff; though Gray wore a larger clothes size than her, her sizable bust still swallowed the fabric, making it a tighter fit than one would assume. "I'm not that cold…" she whined quietly as it finally clicked in her head that Gray was lending her his clothing, and a pink blush dusted her pale cheeks.

"Shut up. Yes you are," he brusquely refuted and leaned down to pull off his pants. Her blushed furthered down her neck and to the lobes of her ears as he so nonchalantly held them out for her to step into. It was kind of wild that him standing there in his boxers wasn't what fazed her. "Come on; your legs'll freeze off in this cold."

"What about you?" she asked though she knew it was stupid to.

"You know I used to run around in my underwear in blizzards," came the haughty reply. Lucy reached up to grip his shoulders so she did not lose her balance while stepping into the pants. They were much too long, requiring Lucy to kick them up her legs to allow her feet through, and she had to hold them up around her small waist while Gray crouched down to roll the legs up for her. She was going to do it herself but was having difficulty bunching all the loose fabric in one hand to tug at his belt. She blushed darkly when his head suddenly appeared at her stomach and his hands overtook hers, gently pulling away the belt to draw it tightly around her middle. "You really are tiny, Lucy," he mumbled, almost to himself.

If Lucy were any redder, she would win a tomato look-alike contest.

"Y-you don't just say things like that…" she grumbled. She averted her gaze as he stood up, holding his discarded coat in his hands as he did. She expected him to throw it on himself, since she was just fine dressed in the layers that she was, but to her shock he tossed it around her shoulders instead. His fingers danced a little over the chilled skin of her neck as he attached the clasp at her throat. Thoroughly embarrassed at the undeniably slightly erotic display, she just blushed brightly while he looked down at her in approval.

"There you go. Are you feeling warmed up now?" _God, if you only knew… _she thought while tugging at the neck of the shirt. He had her all hot and bothered that she would've sweated even if she were still nearly naked.

"Yeah… Thank you…" she answered with a small smile. Really, she was warmed that Gray performed such a gesture of kindness. His body heat still lingered in the clothing, and she wrapped her arms around herself as she felt it melting away what felt like ice crystals that had formed in her body. "I'm much better now." She looked down the alleyway to see Natsu hefting the trussed-up burglar over his shoulder.

"All right! Mission accomplished! Time for food! _Fooooooood_!" he crowed and pumped his free fist in the air. Happy had abandoned his wings and was skipping about around his feet with a similar chant for nourishment. Lucy snorted in amusement and looked to Gray with a smile as Natsu began marching off down the alley to find his was back to the jewelry store where the authorities would be waiting.

"Would you like to stop by the hotel on the way? You need to get yourself some clothes too. Even if you don't freeze, I'm pretty sure the phrase 'no shirt, no shoes, no service' applies to even wizards," she joked. He gave her a mocking laugh while running his hands through his hair and watched as Natsu turned the corner. As she went to set off after him, Gray suddenly grabbed her by the elbow, signaling for her to stop. She looked at him quizzically. "What is it?" He had such a serious expression on his face all of a sudden.

"Lucy… Are you really okay? Don't you think we need to treat your burns?" Her hand rose to curl over her heart as if that would quiet the frantic melody that his question had just sent it into performing. That haze of pink bloomed across her cheeks again, gracing the cold skin like the onset of spring during the cold of winter, and her brown eyes looked down because she couldn't meet his heavy gaze. A smile formed on her lips. _He cares so much… _

"Really, I'm okay. It happens more often than you might think, and they're not bad burns at all. They won't even scar."

"Stupid Natsu," he grumbled under his breath, still holding her elbow. Instead of retracting his grip, his hand slid down her forearm, tracing the outline of it before wrapping around her wrist. His name appeared on her tongue as a question but left her mouth as a small gasp as he pulled her hand to his mouth to press his lips against the area of her wrist where a burn was just peeking out from underneath the dark fabric. He held the kiss for a long time and she knew that he must've felt her frantic heartbeat pulsing in the artery there. "To help them heal," he flashed her a grin against her wrist. Lucy was as stiff as a board and was staring at him incredulously, both alarmed and mildly aroused.

The way he was looking at her, with the hint of affection and allure in his eyes, warmed her much more than his clothes every could. He still didn't relinquish the grip on her hand. As his arm dropped, hers went with it, and his hand slid down into hers to wrap around her freezing fingers. "Come on. Let's catch up with that knucklehead before he makes a mess of dropping off that thief," he mused.

"O-okay…" Lucy only whispered and allowed him to pull her along down the alleyway. The fingers of her other hand twisted into the fabric of the cloak and shirt over her head, and she pushed the bottom half of her face into the collar of the oversized coat to hide the permanent happy smile painting her mouth.

_Gray… You sure did warm me up, for sure… _she thought, closing her eyes and breathing in the scent of the man who filled her heart with an icy fire. It may have been autumn around her, but Lucy's body bore the comforting, gentle warmth of spring. _I wonder… if I asked you… _

_Would you keep me warm forever? _


	14. A Visit

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Natsu Dragneel, Millianna

Requested By: AwarenessBringer (FanFiction)

Millianna's earthy-brown eyes were lidded in perfect contentment as she gazed out of the train window at the picturesque countryside just beyond Magnolia City stretching across the horizon. The gently rolling hills dotted with great oak trees and the occasional isolated homestead against the backdrop of a clear blue sky really had a painting-like quality that made Millianna feel at ease, almost as if she were home; it was an odd dichotomy, considering that she was far from her home, the mage guild Mermaid Heel, and traveling to the city for a personal visit. Everyone always just assumed that she was coming to see Erza- which she would definitely do before leaving- but in actuality, the people that who would be greeting her at the train station were none other than a certain cotton candy-haired fire mage and his little Exceed partner.

Millianna had been routinely commuting to the home of Fairy Tail for several months now, after the dramatic upset at the Grand Magic Games. The first visit really _had_ been to visit Erza, considering that the fiery redhead had been missing for several years which had saddened Millianna terribly, but foiling a plot to effectively end the world really didn't make for the best situation to play catch-up. During that jaunt, Millianna had run into Natsu and Happy; Millianna, despite growing up, was as enamored with adorable kitties and kitty-like creatures as she had ever been, and so naturally she had fawned girlishly over the confused but delighted Happy. Natsu had ever so graciously told her that she could come visit Happy as she pleased, and she had been elated to take him up on his offer. So, whenever she found herself off from missions, she meandered over to Magnolia City in search of the dragon-slayer and his beloved partner. At first, Millianna had really only been concerned about the little cat, but in time she had actually come to enjoy the time she spent with Natsu as well. He was a bundle of energy and fun that never ceased to make her laugh or smile.

In fact, Millianna was considering the possibility that she had a slight crush on him.

It wasn't the most concerning revelation in the world. It wasn't like there were any policies or laws forbidding relationships between members of different guilds. It was just strange because Millianna had never even considered any romantic pursuits at all, let alone with the fiery, passionate fire mage who had foiled their plans at the Tower of Heaven (which worked out perfectly well and for the greater good, but she digressed). Most of all, Millianna was just concerned that such a crush could only lead to her own heartbreak; she was almost positive that Natsu did not see her in that kind of light. There were plenty of beautiful Fairy Tail women that were much better options for him than herself.

Delving into her own subconscious made the landscape suddenly seem lifeless and depressing. Despite the blooming green and brown tones of the rolling landscape, that's all it was- smudges of color with no real life to be had, just endless hills and forests. With a small groan, she tore her gaze away from the window to stare sadly at the empty seat across from her. Suddenly she imagined Natsu sitting there, holding his belly and groaning from motion sickness but still flashing her a small smile insisting that it was nothing, he would be just fine. He was a tough guy, both in talk and in action, but it was amusing how such a little thing could affect him. Millianna felt the smile forming on her lips; with a startled gasp, she smacked her cheeks and squeezed her eyes shut to banish the phantasm. It was utterly useless, because Natsu's beaming smile just danced in the dark of her closed eyes, adorable and enticing.

"Oh, dear… This is not good," she tutted to herself as she opened her eyes again to pull her knees to her chest and prop her chin on them miserably. Her inner instincts were buzzing for her to hop right on the train back, because surely this evening would go quite differently than the ones before. How was she going to be able to keep a straight face when she was head-over-heels for the handsome Natsu Dragneel?

* * *

As Millianna stepped off the train onto the platform, she instantly caught sight of a shock of bright pink hair. A beaming face and an excitedly waving hand were next to grace her vision; a pink rosy tint matching the shade of the dragon-slayer's locks rose to her cheeks as Natsu ran over to her, little Happy tottering at his heels. _Oh, here we go… _

"Hey, Millianna! Glad you could make it," Natsu grinned at her. He always had a habit of smiling so widely that his eyes scrunched up and one would swear that his face hurt. Millianna found it one of his cutest habits. _Ah! Stop! You can't think anything he does it cute! _She scolded herself, discreetly pinching her leg through her striped stockings to punish such thoughts. Trying to seem nonchalant, she returned his beaming happiness with a small smile appropriate for a young lady who had no romantic interest in a young man- or, in her case, was desperately trying to hide blossoming feelings for said strapping young man…

"Hello, Natsu. Hello, Happy," she added while crouching down to pat the blue Exceed on the head. As she scratched a little behind his ears, his tail waggled and he sighed in utter bliss.

"Millianna, you give the best head scratches," he purred quietly. Millianna giggled, but the cute moment was cut abruptly short when Natsu grabbed her by the wrist and all but yanked her back to her feet. She cried out in alarm as he thrusted her hand into his fluffy locks of hair with a serious face.

"Really? Lemme see! Scratch my head, Millianna!" If her face had been the color of a carnation at the beginning of their exchange, then it was certified to be a rich, luscious shade of red now. Millianna knew that Natsu was just going to bug the hell out of her until she did as asked, so she resigned herself to the situation up front. With a hesitant expression, she gently began to run her fingers lightly through the tousled pink locks to lightly run her nails over his scalp, and was struck at how impossibly soft his hair was; it really did feel like cotton candy, bouncy and pillowy. After a few seconds she shifted her hand to scratch the area of his head right above and behind his ears, and almost like a cat would, Natsu leaned into the action with something very reminiscent of a purr. He gave her a sleepy smile with lidded eyes as she continued her ministrations. "Ahhh… You're right, Happy… This feels so nice," he sighed as his shoulders slouched down. He really was enjoying it!

"All right, that's enough!" Millianna huffed. Natsu looked impossibly sad when she retracted her hand and even let out a miserable "Aw…" _That sad little pout is so adora- Agh! No, Millianna! Bad! Bad! _she scolded herself once more with an even more painful pinch. Dammit, she was going to get over this crush even if she went home with bruises dotting every inch of her skin. "Wh-What do you want to do today?" she asked quickly, trying to distract herself (and Natsu, so he could wipe that aggravatingly cute pout off his face). Like a switch had flipped, that equally endearing smile was back on his face. Millianna truly could not win; no matter what little action he performed, her little heart went a-fluttering. _This is going to be harder than I thought… _

"Oh, yeah! They're having a little flower festival in the town square for a few days, Millianna, and I thought you might like to see it! I got dragged along by Lucy and all the other gals already, but it was kinda fun. So whadaya say?" he asked her. Millianna absolutely adored flowers and was definitely willing to visit the limited-time installment. Still, that nagging little voice in the back of her enamored mind could not help but chime that a flower festival was an undoubtedly romantic setting… _Shut up, _she told it grumpily, _Natsu went with other girls already. He doesn't find it romantic at all! _She told herself that, but she still couldn't help but blush brightly again when he grabbed her by the wrist and took off with her in tow when she nodded in agreement.

* * *

Millianna momentarily forgot her present predicament when the two of them arrived at the town square. She stood in the entrance, eyes glimmering with unbridled joy as she basked in the brilliance of the flower festival. Though it was a small area, the town square was exquisitely decorated, beginning with an arch wrapped in trawling strawberry vines, complete with a mixture of blooming white flowers and succulent red fruits that begged to be plucked from the vine. There was no one around to chastise her, so she snuck up to the arrangement to do so, biting down on the end of the berry and practically melting as its tart yet sweet juices spread across her tongue. "They're absolutely delicious!" she told Natsu as she chewed on the yummy fruit. Natsu nodded eagerly in agreement, having shoved a fistful of them into his mouth already. As he reached for another one, she walked over and lightly popped his outstretched hand. "Leave some for others to enjoy!" she scolded him with a waggling finger.

"Okay! Okay! No need to hit me," he whined while waving his hand about. She hadn't even hit him hard enough to leave a red mark; he was just being dramatic, she could tell, from the hint of a smirk that pranced in his pouty lips. _Oh, there he goes again! So cute… _she lamented silently as her heart began to incessantly pound against her rib cage. To avoid further dwelling on the situation, she hastily whirled around and marched through the arch.

"Let's go!" The town square was arranged in a circular fashion with a large bubbling fountain as its centerpiece; spreading bilaterally in either direction from the arch were various sculptures made of flowers and hedges, finally meeting in the middle directly parallel to the arch with the grandest of them all. Millianna _did_ forget her schoolgirl crush temporarily as she walked alongside Natsu around the town square, pausing to admire each work of floral art. One of them was a pair of little girls in pigtails carrying baskets of daisies carved from thick green hedges with their matching dresses demarcated by bright red poppies. Another bore the likeness of a massive dragon propped back on its powerful haunches, its wings formed by curtains of wisteria blossoms and its body formed by a collection of violets, complete with roiling flames made of white bell-like flowers spilling from its mouth. The next was a knight that bore eerie resemblance to Erza, down to her streaming red hair woven from huge roses. With each statue came a menagerie of soothing aromas wafting into Millianna's sharp nose and easing her tensed nerves. How could she not be soothed among the beautiful flowers?

She would think that, until Natsu did something undeniably cute, like making funny faces at the Erza-yet-not-Erza sculpture or playing in the fountain with Happy until he got yelled at by the resident officiator of the festival. As she watched his energetic antics, Millianna laughed amiably with one hand over her mouth, unable to contain the sheer joy she got from seeing him live his life with complete zest, no matter what he was doing.

"Come on, Millianna, let's go see the big one!" he called to her, running off for the other end of the square. As she watched him go, smiling back at her with his dragonscale scarf waving in the wind behind him, Millianna's happiness was replaced with the sharp bitterness of pain. _I really am… in love with him, aren't I? _she thought as her hand came to rest against her fluttering, fragile heart. No amount of reverse psychology or painful punishment was going to change that, despite her best efforts. Her gaze dropped to the cobblestone walkway; a smile was again on her face, but one of defeat and sadness. _There's nothing for it… _

There was only one way out of it for Millianna: she would have to confess and have heart her broken, and that would be that. "Millianna? Are you comin' or what?" came Natsu's impatient cry from the large sculpture. Sucking in a breath to steel her courage, Millianna raised her head and hurried over to stand beside him in front of the festival's pride and joy. It certainly was a magnificent specimen, a grand white castle with daffodils as gold accents and even a functioning drawbridge with a running-water moat. A blonde-haired princess waved a handkerchief from her tower window down at a young squire in a red-and-blue tunic. "Man, how long do ya think it took to put this thing together?" Natsu grinned in admiration as he craned his head back to observe the entire piece, one hand over his green eyes to shield it from the sun's bright rays. Millianna only shrugged slightly in response. Though they had given her much joy beforehand, now Millianna couldn't even force herself to enjoy the spectacle of nature's brightest and most beautiful blossoms. Her sudden melancholy did not go unnoticed by the boy. "Millianna? Are you okay? You tired?" he asked her while cocking his head to the side. Under his innocent, curious gaze, Millianna squirmed uncomfortably. Of course the fact that he was concerned with her well-being ignited those butterflies in her stomach. There was currently no one else admiring the castle sculpture, so if she confessed now, there would be no one to witness the embarrassing spectacle of her rejection…

_It's now or never, _she insisted, but despite her consciousness raring to go, she could not force her tongue to form the simple words. She clutched her hands in front of her chest tightly, quivering as the anxiety gripped her body. She would've never imagined that it would be so impossibly hard! Millianna had always been a direct individual, always saying what was on her mind, but for once in her life, she could not do so. "Millianna?" As Natsu stepped closer to her with his eyebrows knitted together in concern, all she could do was eye him fearfully out of the corners of her eyes. Would he laugh at her? Would he find her crush on him abhorrent? As her mind spiraled rapidly into dark, depressing possibilities, the little voice in the back of her head actually said something useful for once. _Natsu isn't like that. _

_No… No, he isn't. _Millianna found that realization incredibly reassuring. Of course Natsu would never react so horribly; he was just such a nice, genuine person, after all. Even if his feelings for her were completely platonic, he would do his best to let her down easily and try to salvage their friendship, at least. Millianna sucked in a breath, finally ready to admit the truth to him. She turned to face him, determination flaring in her dark brown eyes… But she couldn't open her mouth to speak for Natsu's lips lightly brushing over hers.

Any bravado that Millianna had mustered up vanished like smoke in a fierce wind. Her face burned in an inferno so intense she could swear that Natsu was using his magic on her; of course, he was not. Natsu's eyes were nearly as wide as hers. It seemed that Natsu had been leaning forward to peer into her face at the exact moment that Millianna had turned around, yielding their present compromising position. Though several seconds had passed, neither of them had moved an inch, so their lips were still locked in a light, feathery kiss that had Millianna both internally screaming and with the overwhelming urge to push forward to claim Natsu's mouth fully. She almost, _almost_ found herself doing so, but caught herself as her eyes were drifting shut. With a startled gasp, she jerked back, finally pulling her lips from his.

"I-I'm sorry, Natsu! I-I didn't mean- _um_\- o-oh _dear_…" she stammered as she turned her back to him, hands squishing her bright red cheeks as she effectively overheated in mortification. It felt like the world was spinning around her. _Crap, crap, __**crap**__! What do I do now?! We just __**kissed**__! _With a long, uncomfortable whine, she squirmed about as her jellified brain attempted to arrive at some logical follow-up, but it was pretty much useless. Her neural synapses were firing in all the wrong ways, more focused on her body's physical reactions than actually being useful. She had her eyes shut tight the entire time, and once she cracked them open, she was terrified to find that Natsu had walked around to stand in front of her. With a loud "Kyahhhh!" she went to whirl right back around again, but he caught her by both her wrists to prevent her from doing so. "Wah! N-Natsu, what-?"

He didn't answer her, just pulled her forward to crush his mouth against hers. Her brain melted further into a pile of goop so not a coherent thought formed in her mind; her body took over for her, thankfully. A soft "Mmm…" rumbled in her throat as she melted against him and her eyes drifted shut once more. The way his lips were dancing gently and rhythmically with her own sent electricity humming through her nerves, sending a warm, fuzzy feeling buzzing in every cell of her body. The butterflies were back, but not uncomfortable flapping in a frenzy, just lazily fluttering about to yield an oddly pleasant humming sensation. Her heart settled from a pounding drum to a steady thump in tune with the beating of Natsu's own heart, which hovered over hers as their chests flushed together. She could faintly feel one of Natsu's hands releasing her wrist to thread through her wavy chestnut locks; similarly, Millianna's hand had migrated to the back of his neck to twist those fine, pink locks around her fingers. Millianna was not sure how long they stood there kissing in front of the magical castle sculpture, nor did she really care as Natsu pulled back slightly. Their eyes opened to lock gazes, Millianna's warm brown tones meshing with the bright green of his. "N-Natsu… I don't understand…" she managed to murmur finally. Her gaze dropped down to her feet as she tried to process what had just occurred. _It couldn't possibly be that Natsu… has feelings for me, too…? _She did not resist him as he curled a hand beneath her chin to force her gaze back up to his. He had a saccharine sweet smile on his face that made Millianna's heart clench in happiness and love. The way he was looking at her right now, like she was a divine blossom more beautiful than the crafted arrangements that surrounded them, unique and perfect… There was simply no denying it.

"Well, we came so close that I figured I might as well just finish the job," he grinned teasingly. His hand left her chin to sweep across her cheek, as lightly as a feather but Millianna continued to feel his touch long after his hand had retreated to settle on her hip. "You were… going to say something?"

"I like you, Natsu… A lot." It came out so easily that she didn't even quite realize that she had uttered it. A satisfied smirk mixed with a loving smile crossed his lips, and intense feeling smoldered in his spring green irises as he continued to just gaze at her like she was the only thing in the world. She peered at him shyly through her lashes and was relieved to see that big smile that scrunched up his eyes with pure elation appear on his boyish yet handsome features.

"That's good, otherwise that woulda been kinda awkward," he laughed while rubbing the back of his neck. After he chuckled a minute at his own joke, he opened his eyes to look at her adoringly. "I like you a lot too, Millianna."

"So… Does this mean you want me to keep coming to see you?" she asked with a small smile as she swayed slightly back and forth, hands clasped behind her back. The action really did make her look like a confessing schoolgirl.

"Uh-huh! And I'll come see ya, too! I wanna see Mermaid Heel."

"Oh, why?" He looked at her in amusement, like she had asked a really silly question.

"Because I wanna learn all kinds of things about you, Millianna." Her heart hammered against her ribcage as she swooned dramatically at the purely effortless, endearing line. She was definitely head-over-heels now; little pink hearts were practically beating in her eyes. He grinned boyishly at her as he took her hand, entwining their fingers, and using his other to point towards the other side of the flower festival that they had yet to observe. "Whadaya say we call this our first date, yeah? We still got plenty of flowers to look at, and we can go eat afterwards, too!" _He's so dreamy! _Millianna shrieked internally, clutching her heart as it threatened to pop right out of her chest from how hard it was beating. She simply couldn't handle all his adorable lovey-doveyness.

"Okay!" she nodded gleefully, and even dared herself to lean her head on his shoulder. It was the perfect size and shape for her to nestle comfortably against him, making her feel even more giddy; dare she say they were made for one another! Pretty much nothing could bust Millianna's elated bubble… except Happy, standing in front of them and sniffling as he stared up at them with tears dripping down his furry blue face.

"Happy? What's the matter, bud?" Natsu gasped in alarm. Happy sucked in a breath through his nose to try and keep the snot from dripping from it as he rubbed at his big black eyes.

"You won't forget about me now that you've got her, right, Natsu?" he asked miserably. Millianna couldn't help but feel guilty at the poor little kitty's distraught display. He loved Natsu so dearly; of course he would be worried that Natsu would become so engrossed in a new relationship that he would be left behind. Natsu shook his head firmly.

"Of course not, Happy! You're my bestest bud!" Happy stared at him with wide eyes for a second, then began bawling harder than before. With a loud, relieved wail, he ran forward to hug one of Natsu's legs and bury his teary, snotty face into it. "Hehehe, I love you too, little guy," Natsu mused and leaned down to reassuringly scratch the top of his head when Happy mumbled something of the same sentiment into the fabric of his pants. Millianna watched to heartwarming exchange with a small smile. While Happy calmed himself down, Natsu tossed her an amused grin. "Shall we?"

"Mhmm!" Happy just sat on Natsu's foot, arms and legs wrapped around his leg as he continued to cry of happiness, while Natsu began walking with Millianna to enjoy the rest of the festival. She nuzzled into him contentedly, enjoying the natural heat of his body spreading through her.

She had been right when she had envisioned that this visit would be different than the others, but she was _so_ grateful that she hadn't chosen to take the train back…


	15. To New Beginnings

Category: Mild Romantic Fluff

Characters: Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster

Requested By: Anonymous User

Lucy's hands slid down her curvaceous sides as she smoothed out the fabric of the elegant chocolate-brown kimono hugging her body while she admired herself in the mirror. It really was a beautiful work of craftsmanship; though the earthy brown served as the base color for the clothing, it was accentuated with flower patterns made simply of thin lines, outlined in bright white and warm beige and sandy tan. The center of each flower was filled in with tiny beads to give the kimono a textural pop. The look was completed with a soft silk sash wrapped around her waist of white, a fashionable contrast to the darker tones of her look.

Lucy wasn't quite used to wearing kimonos, given the westernized, modern society of Fiore, but she found she actually appreciated the garment as comfortable and chic; on a recent mission, Wendy had visited a more traditional mountain village and had been enraptured by the fashion, and as a gift for her assistance they had presented her with a beautiful hand-crafted kimono. Wendy had been ecstatic but afraid that the garment would look very out-of-place in a contemporary place like Magnolia City, so Lucy had suggested the idea of their annual New Year's Party having a kimono theme. They all wanted to see Wendy happy, after all, and the little girl had been so overjoyed at her suggestion. So here Lucy was, turning this way and that investigating how the new piece of clothing accentuated her figure and nodded approvingly. She just loved nice-looking clothes!

"Hey, Lucy!" The blonde-haired girl smiled wryly at the reflection of the grinning boy with cotton-candy hair perched in her window, who was holding up a hand in greeting. Natsu's kimono was a fiery red with dappled salmon patterns across the surface like it had been sponged with paint, but not in a messy or unpleasing way. His _obi _was white, as well, to match the dragonscale scarf wrapped around his neck. As she turned around to greet him, Happy squeezed through the window to land on her floor with an _oompf!_; he hastily jumped to his feet to proudly display his own little custom kimono of sapphire blue patterned with jumping light gray carp.

"Lucy! Lucy! Does it make me look handsome?"

"You're the handsomest little man I've ever seen, Happy," she assured him with an endearing smile. He whirled around to Natsu puffing out his chest in pride, tail waving back in forth in a clear display that he was exceptionally pleased.

"She called me handsome! 3" With a snicker, Natsu hopped down from the window to scamper right to her bedroom door and throw it open, sniffing the air hungrily because he was without a doubt looking for food. Lucy sighed and threw her head back in agony, as she just knew it was going to happen.

"Natsu! You were supposed to bring food too, y'know!" she scolded him as he dashed down the hallway laughing maniacally. A half-ass apology drifted behind him as he all but dashed down the hall, and Lucy groaned loudly as she heard the distant clinking of ceramic and glass as he attacked the small array of party foods she had prepared for the evening. Happy stood in the doorway of her bedroom looking guilty, holding his paws together as he stared at the floor.

"I'm sorry, Lucy… I had fish crackers made, but… I got so hungry this afternoon that I ate them all myself!" he sniffled pathetically. Happy was making such a sad display that it was hard to be mad at him, and she wouldn't have been in the first place, because really it would have been the other Exceeds who had eaten the snack anyway. She smiled softly and walked over to crouch down and pat his soft little blue head.

"Don't worry, Happy, it's all right. There will still be plenty of food for everyone," she reassured him. He grinned widely at her and dried his tears right there and then before whirling on his paws and taking off down the hall shouting at Natsu to wait for him. Lucy breathed a deep sigh and rubbed at one of her temples; the night had only just begun, and she was beginning to question why she had agreed to host the gathering at her house instead of pawning it off on someone else…

* * *

It was no time at all before everyone arrived and the party was fully underway, several hours before the clock struck midnight and they would usher in the new year. Though Natsu had absorbed a notable amount of her freshly prepared food in his gullet in the short time it took her to walk down the hall, all it had taken was a whack to the back of his head with a wooden spoon to send him scampering to the couch whining like a literal wounded dog. He was even wearing a pair of glistening puppy-dog eyes, but unfortunately for him, Lucy was immune to such childish ploys. Unlike his forgetful self, the rest of the guests brought food for all of them to enjoy, so his dent really didn't end up cause much damage. The settled around her kotatsu table (that she had bought on sale from a local odds-and-ends furniture store to complete Wendy's vision of a traditional New Year) laughing and cutting up and enjoying the snacks. The time was about ten-thirty when someone (she honestly could not remember who) brought out the alcohol and things began to get a bit more raucous. Suddenly, a slightly pink-faced Levy who was snuggled in the arms of the much brawnier Gajeel gasped aloud.

"Oh, dear! We have to decide who each other's New Year's kiss will be!" she exclaimed. Her shoulders were falling out of her spring-inspired kimono, sky blue with colorful butterflies matching the ornament in her wavy blue hair, and with pursed lips Gajeel casually adjusted it for her. She giggled and lifted up her head to press a kiss against his chin. "Thanks, honey~ I mean for you guys, because obviously I have mine," she purred while sloshing around a bottle of sake. Gajeel blushed lightly and looked away, muttering something unintelligible.

"Yo, Erza, is _Jellal_ stopping by?" Gray asked teasingly as he leaned onto the table with wiggling eyebrows. Erza turned the shade of her hair and looked down at her lap in complete embarrassment. Her hands dug into the fabric of her simple black kimono before twisting into her sunset-colored sash.

"I-I have no idea what you are suggesting! I-I mean… If anyone were to be my New Year's kiss, that would be- Ah! No! I don't have to talk about this with you all!" she wailed and buried her face into her hands with a mortified wail. Laughter erupted around the room; Gray's stopped short and turned into a grunt as Juvia threw herself onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Gray, my darling! Surely you will be Juvia's kiss, yes?" she purred delightedly while nuzzling the back of his head with her cheek. Her lavender kimono with accents the shade of her hair was a stark contrast to Gray's midnight blue one patterned with gray stripes, but they also complimented each other well. Gray didn't seem to think that sentiment extended to their personal lives.

"No way. I don't buy into that girly crap." He mumbled as he shoved a custard-filled confectionary of Levy's creation into his mouth. Juvia let out a wheedling whine and melted into a puddle-literally- behind him before slinking off in half-water form to seek comfort from a wine bottle. Wendy, who was sitting beside Lucy, fidgeted uncomfortably in worry.

"I don't have anybody to give me a New Year's kiss," she murmured miserably as tears welled up in her round eyes. Lucy tutted in a motherly fashion and wrapped her hands around the side of her head to pull her into a hug (more like squish the poor girl into her cleavage, but she was a bit tipsy already). Wendy's response was muffled as Lucy lovingly stroked her hair, which she had let flow free rather than contain it in pigtails.

"S'okay, Wendy! I'll be your New Year's kiss, don't worry!" Natsu laughed while waving around a bottle, and he hastily added with an affronted look and a blush, "I meant on the cheek; damn, guys, I'm not a creep!" Wendy's head popped out of Lucy's grasp to look at him with joyful, sparkling eyes. She clasped her hands together as she stared at him in total admiration.

"Really, Natsu, you mean it?"

"O'course! Why should you miss out just because you're a little younger than us?" he grinned and leaned over to throw his thick arm around her neck and snuggle into her affectionately. Happy tottered over to Carla with big, begging eyes, and the pretty white cat snorted in derision but obviously must've agreed because Happy crowed ecstatically, throwing his little paws in the air. Pantherlily looked disgruntled for a second before Carla nudged him in the shoulder and told him that she would give him one, too, and the buff black cat turned away bashfully, toeing at the fibers of the rug beneath him.

With all the talk about New Year's kissing, Lucy was suddenly very acutely aware that she had no one to give her a kiss, either. Something about that fact made her exceptionally depressed. Perhaps it was the alcohol; it always resulted in her having disastrous mood swings, if the stories that Natsu told her were true. It wasn't that Lucy thought that at this point in her life she would already have somebody to share such things with; after all, she was still young and had plenty of time to pursue romantic endeavors. However, seeing Levy and Gajeel and Gray and Juvia and even Erza and Jellal moving forward with their relationships (whether established or not) suddenly made her very conscious that she had nobody, nobody at all, she was even considering as a romantic partner. Her shoulders sagged a little as she pouted down at her little plate half-full of food that she now couldn't stomach eating. Not wishing to ruin the fun everyone else was having, she brooded in silence. The melancholy slowly swallowed her up like a gaping abyss steadily drawing her in with an unbeatable current, until she was stranded in the black depths with nothing but the sadness and crushing dark. As Levy gleefully announced that it was nearly time, Lucy quietly excused herself from the table to walk into the other room, where she stood in front of the window trying not to cry.

_This is so stupid, _she told herself bitterly. _All this fuss over a kiss. _Lucy wasn't quite drunk enough to be unaware of how pointless her roiling emotions were, but apparently drunk enough that the statement didn't keep her from sulking anyway. She knew there would be many more New Years' to come, and eventually she would be spending them with someone who loved her, but for some reason right now she was incredibly impatient. It seemed to her, in her sad, clouded mind, that everybody in the world had someone to share a kiss with at midnight but her. She knew that was entirely untrue, but alcohol made her _so_ aggravatingly dramatic. She clenched her teeth as the first set of tears rolled down her cheeks, which were flushing red with frustration with herself. She pushed her hand into her face to try and catch them before anyone noticed. _I can't believe myself! What has gotten **into** me? _

She could hear them yelling as they counted down. "Ten! Nine! Eight!" She wasn't sure what saddened her more, the fact that they were all having so much fun and here she was being a stick in the mud, or that they hadn't noticed her disappearance. "Seven! Six! Five!" She should really go back in there, but she couldn't bring herself to. She was rooted to the spot with watery brown eyes staring through the glass, ever so lightly frosted by the chill outside. "Four! _Three_! _Two_! **_One_**!" Her eyes beheld the glittering expanse of stars. How she loved the stars. They always reminded her of her mother, softly flickering with an unwavering light… "**_Happy New Year!_**" all her friends screamed in the other room, laughing and sloshing alcohol all over themselves and her floor, giggling as they all partook in their New Year's kisses.

"Happy New Year," Lucy whispered miserably with a voice impossibly thick with longing.

"Happy New Year, Lucy." She whipped around with a small gasp at the gentle voice behind her, shocked to find Gray standing there with a softly sad smile on his face. Guiltily, she shrunk into herself, drawing her arms to her chest as if to shield him from her inquisition. The rest of the group was chattering loudly back in the room, seemingly ignorant of the two of them standing out there. He had his head tilted down knowingly as his stormy dark eyes looked at her as if he knew all her secrets. She felt her heart thump hard in her chest; there was just so something… _evocative_ about the look he was giving her, so raw and powerful and dare she say, _sensual_.

"S-So, I take it Juvia stole a kiss from you?" It was her pitiful attempt to play off the situation. He shrugged with a boyish smirk.

"All it took was a little peck on the cheek and she fainted," he remarked casually. Lucy was beside herself suddenly; why was she _relieved_ that Juvia and Gray had not actually kissed? All of a sudden it was like a flickering movie reel began to roll in her head, rapidly streaming through all of her and Gray's history together… Natsu was her truest friend, her partner, but… There had always been something bubbling at the surface with Gray too that she could never really name. Considering that Juvia was always there combatting for his affections and they were always embroiled in some momentous battle or another, Lucy had never really cared to name that feeling, but right there, as he crossed the short distance between them to gently take her elbow with one hand and sweep her blonde hair from her face with the other, she was beginning to think that mysterious flutter of unknown feeling was in fact the fledgling bird of love.

"_Gray_," she murmured pleadingly, though she wasn't really sure what she was pleading for. Instinctively, her body leaned forward to just barely press into his. His hand fell from her elbow to land at her hip, lovingly hugging the natural curve of her figure. Tears still glittered on her lashes as she blinked up at him imploringly, and they fell like fruit from a tree to roll down her cheeks, only for his thumb to gently sweep them away.

"I'm sorry it's not right on time," he whispered. There was a husky, desiring tone in his low voice that made Lucy shudder lightly. Their eyes remained locked in a smoldering gaze the entire time, never wavering. Fire and electricity bloomed over the sensitive skin of her cheek as the tip of his finger ever-so-lightly feathered over it, "but Happy New Year," he repeated in a whisper before his face enclosed over hers. Lucy's eyelashes fluttered shut in anticipation of his lips meeting hers, but nothing could physically prepare her for the feeling. His mouth melded against hers as if they were simply made to fit together, soft and pliable yet firm and sure. Lucy's hands curled into the fabric of his kimono over his chest in the instinctual need to ground herself, as something burst inside of her with the intensity of water surging through a dam. Sparked danced where his lips met hers, smearing the lingering taste of liquor over her lips for the aroma to waft up her nose. She wasn't sure if that or the act in itself was intoxicating her, but inebriated she became; her legs became wobbly and her mind fogged over with a thick mist that prevented her from thinking of anything else besides the man holding her and kissing her with a fervent yet tender passion. When he pulled away from her, she swore he took her breath with him, because she had to inhale sharply. Her eyes drifted back open to see him smiling warmly down at her. "Feel better?"

"Mhmm," she answered, suddenly shy. He sneered confidently at her in a dashing way that sent her heart to skittering like a pebble across concrete. _Oh, dear, I have gotten myself into something, haven't I? _she thought as she tried to find an expression to match what she was feeling, only there were so many emotions at once that it was just one confusing mess. Gray chuckled under his breath and pulled away, only grabbing her wrist to tug her back into the room. Lucy was not sure how to explain her sudden disappearance to all her friends, but Gray had it covered.

"Man, Lucy, how could you run off to the bathroom right as it turns midnight? You missed all the fun," he scolded her with a click of his tongue and a shake of his head. Everyone in the room jumped at her at once with New Years' glee, and Lucy laughed, glad again to be surrounded by all of them. Gray, standing at the other end of the table with a powered glass of sake, raised it to her with a wink. "To new beginnings."

"To new beginnings!" the rest of them cheered loudly and drank, though they had no idea of the message underneath that seemingly simple dedication. As she sipped at a cup of wine, eyes linked to Gray's the entire time, she nodded in understanding.

"_To new beginnings_."


	16. Forever Begins Here

Category: General Fluff

Characters: Lucy Heartfilia

Lucy's coffee-colored eyes glistened with the reflection of the bright, merry, and undeniably Fairy Tail-esque array of multicolored fairy lights strung at the guild entrance. They were a nice compliment to the dull and gray winter that had been plaguing the city for the last several days; though the steely clouds hung oppressively low to smother the earth in a perpetual, seeping chill and deliver puffy white snowflakes onto the already buried community, the twinkling bulbs brought holiday cheer in the form of red, yellow, green, and blue soft glowing light that kaleidoscoped across the white snow. Lucy stood a moment in front of the guild to simply admire the beautiful display that had literally appeared overnight. It really was the simplest of things in life that made it worth getting up every day, she mused with a small smile before charging into the guild.

As usual, the guild chorused with raucous greeting at her entrance, as was custom. Lucy barely noticed because her eyes were alight attempting to absorb every ounce of holiday cheer that had been applied to the buildings interior. To keep from being overly gaudy, white fairy lights instead of colored ones were on display, wrapped around every column and trailing over every banister. Pine garland complimented it in certain areas, notably demarking the second-floor balustrade. Lucy had tracked half-melted snow onto a thick, downy, bouncy red rug that sprawled across the floor and traveled up the steps to likely puddle across that wooden floor in cherry-red bliss; with a light giggle, she stepped onto it and so wished she could pull of her shoes to feel it with her bare feet, because it was simply so pillowy and the fibers looked as soft as featherdown. Beside the entrance were two large copper vases stuffed to bursting with red poinsettias, and a garland of holly stretched over the doorframe. To complete the ambiance, a roaring fire was blazing in the guild's massive fireplace to steep the wide room in cozy warmth. To Lucy, Fairy Tail was homier than ever before.

She pranced down the aisle to notice that the holiday decorations were still far from complete, as various members were hard at work applying decorations elsewhere. Mirajane and her siblings were adorning her bar with what looked like hand-made paper snowflakes, which were being produced at length by Asuka and Romeo, who wore matching beaming smiles as they attacked the folded papers with scissors to produce one-of-a-kind patterns. Cana was going about the room setting holiday-scented candles of many a variety on each table to create little bubbles of cheery aroma- peppermint, gingerbread, candied apple, sugar cookie, and those were just the ones she smelled as she walked by. It was all so festive and fun, and Lucy dearly wished that she would've arrived earlier so she could've joined in.

"Lucy! You're just in time!" Levy called to her from her seat beside Gajeel. Lucy trotted over to the girl with a cheerful greeting before inquiring what she was just in time for. "Erza, Gray, and Natsu should be here with the tree soon." Not a moment after did the blue-haired girl speak did the guild hall's door fling open with monstrous ferocity. Lucy looked over her shoulder to catch Natsu's tufts of pink hair peeking out from a massive expanse of pine needles. Lucy watched in mild concern as Natsu shook himself out of the needles, gasping for breath, before gripping onto the trunk of the trees with bulging muscles.

"You're not getting the best o' me, you damn tree! _Ahhhhhhh_!" He yelled, literally spitting fire from his mouth as he feet slipped uselessly over the floor while he attempted to haul the gigantic specimen into the guild. Lucy smiled in bemusement. Leave it to Natsu to spice things up…

"Hey! Stop breathing fire everywhere! If you catch it on fire, Wendy will cry!" Levy accused him from her spot at the table and pointed at the sky dragon-slayer. Sure enough, she had her hands balled up at her chest as she watched with great anxiety, tears even brimming in her big round eyes. Natsu flushed from head to toe and grumbled something under his breath, but obediently ceased his flame-spouting. Shifting positions to try and get better leverage, he buried his arms up to his shoulders into the pine tree. With another guttural roar, he yanked hard, and the tree came bursting into the guild hair with exceptional force. Little did Natsu know that Gray had blasted the back end with swirling icy wind, aided by Erza with a powerful glae from her flashing swords, so it was really questionable whether Natsu really aided in the process or not. The wood around the door splintered as it was stretched beyond capacity to fit the wide girth of the pine tree, which was now skidding across the guild hall with reckless abandon right to where Levy, Gajeel, and Lucy were sitting.

The both screamed in alarm as the tree shot towards them like a massive green bullet, trying to scramble away; the tree was simply gargantuan and would swallow them up no matter which way they ran. "I love you Levy!" Lucy wailed as she threw her arms around her best friend, pitifully crying tears.

"I love you too, Lucy! I wish I could've finished reading your next novel draft!" Levy whined in lament. Behind them, Gajeel rolled his eyes before plucking them both up by the backs of their shirts. The two girls released their hug as he plopped each of them on either of his broad shoulders, then grunted and reared back to pull up a combat-booted leg and plow it directly into the top of the tree. Despite his brawny form, he was actually pushed back a good deal across the guild hall, but due to all the friction and resistance, the tree slowly came to a stop. Gajeel grunted as he disentangled his leg from the gigantic tree, as it had sunk nearly up his thigh. Levy squealed as she sat on his shoulder like a little parrot, hugging his head and nuzzling into his spiky dark hair. "Ah, Gajeel, thank you! I thought I was a goner." Gajeel blushed a salmon color and looked away bashfully.

"Well, you're small, so…" he grumbled under his breath. Lucy chuckled under her breath at their impossibly cute interaction before patting his back and hopping down with a similar gratuitous remark, just in time for Erza and the two boys to walk across the crammed-together, flipped-over guild tables to marvel at their prize.

"Now we just have to put it up and then we can decorate it!" Gray remarked. His shirt had been lost in the exchange somewhere, though if it was while hunting for the tree or the debacle that had just occurred, Lucy wasn't for sure. At the mention of the most basic of holiday traditions, Lucy clasped her hands together at her chest and gasped in delight.

"Oh, yay! I've never gotten to decorate a tree before!" Lucy could hear the record screech as all the noise suddenly died in the guild and dozens of eyes became centered on her in utter horror. A blush rose to her cheeks in slight mortification; she knew decorating a tree was a normal holiday tradition, but really, was she the only one who had never done it? She shrunk into herself as Gray hopped down from the table to look at her incredulously.

"Really, Lucy? _Never?_" he hissed in a mixture of shame and pity. Lucy puffed out her cheeks at the interrogation.

"Never… My father always insisted that it was too frivolous and made the servants do it…" she admitted meekly. Now that she said it aloud, it was pretty sad. At least half the guild whipped around clutching their hearts while tears streamed down their faces, while the other half crowded around to hug the very confused and slightly pissed-off blonde. Mirajane tutted as she pulled Lucy into her chest while snuggling her chin into Lucy's hair.

"Oh, dear… How tragic… Get this tree up at once! Lucy is gonna lead us in decorating this tree, top to bottom!" she suddenly barked in a tone that indicated that she was dangerously close into tapping into her demonic alter ego. With yelps of "yes ma'am!" the grew scattered across the tree, trying to riddle out some way to heft the massive thing into standing position. In the end they decided to situate Wendy at the peak to blast its front end upward with her sky dragon-slayer magic, and the rest of them would keep the momentum so that the tree nestled upright in the corner of the guild. Wendy sucked in a deep breath to the point that her chest swelled to painful capacity before releasing her Sky Dragon's Roar at such an angle that the tree's end skyrocketed up. It actually went pretty high, up to about a sixty degree angle, before it threatened to come crashing down. That's when the rest of them went to scaffolding it with all manners of their magic, pushing up against its thick trunk until it finally rested in the proper position. Standing beneath it, Lucy could not help but be enthralled; it really was the perfect tree, towering over all of them with just enough room between its single-branch summit and the roof to place an adornment. Though Lucy's forte was in the aesthetic of words, her mind also was not lacking in the creativity of décor, and her mind began to swim ecstatically with various ways to arrange baubles and ribbons and ornaments on the gargantuan pine tree.

"Okay, Lucy! Let's get to work," Gray mused as he walked by her to grab her in a tight but affectionately comfortable headlock, tousling his fist into her hair. Someone had probably scolded him for walking around half-naked, because he was now wearing his overcoat. Not even bothered by his wrestler's grip, she smiled giddily as she saw the guild members dragging out countless boxes filled with decorations that had accumulated over the years.

With Lucy at the helm, they began decorating the tree- though of course, the Celestial Mage participated plenty in the physical aspect of the event. They began by stringing more fairy lights to the tree, sticking with plain white bulbs that flickered like stars from deep within the branches. Then they applying round bauble ornaments to the tree. The largest ones, which were hung at the base of the herculean plant, has such an incredible circumference that Lucy couldn't even wrap her arms completely around them. To compliment the red rug and the flickering white fairy lights and the pine garland, Lucy elected for a tri-color arrangement of red, white, and green. The covered the tree in the circular ornaments, using the Exceeds to fly to the top of course, but left plenty of space for some more fun flair. The kitty-like creatures found massive spools of ribbon, and were more than happy to zoon about draping the sheer white glittery trimming over the branches (with some left over to play with after!). Lucy found with delight a set of milky-white glass tailed fairy ornaments, most likely in honor of their beautiful and kind founder Mavis, and so they hung them at strategic gaps in the foliage, as well as sets of crystal stars and red-and-green holly ornaments. Finally, when every space in the tree was stuffed to capacity, it was time for the final piece- the tree topper. It was just a generic angel figurine, but Lucy hesitated to put it atop the pine tree as an artistic vision stirred in her mind when she spotted a plan wreath.

"Hold on a minute!" she cried as she dashed off into one of the guild's hall where they had hung a corkboard. Mirajane had installed the small panel for them to post pictures on, and though it had only been hung a few months or so, the thing was so smothered in photographs that a plan had been enacted to fill the entire hall with corkboards to create a grand display. Lucy plucked photos from the board one by one, aiming for every guild member to be represented, and even found an old photo of the founders, with a sweet, beaming Mavis in the middle, practically glowing like an angel herself. Snickering to herself, Lucy scampered back to her very curious guild members to kneel down in front of the wreath and begin clamping the photographs to its stems with small clothespins. Once she was finished, she held it up in triumph, though wobbled a bit as it was nearly as large as herself. "Ta-da!"

"Oh, Lucy, it's so beautiful," Juvia whispered as she marveled at it, tears brimming in her navy blue eyes. Levy was crying silently as she nodded in approval. Gray and Natsu both snickered and threw their arms around her slim shoulders, with Gray affectionately rubbing her hair again. The Exceeds flew around it with glee, with Happy pointing and naming everyone he could. The Master, who had been watching the proceedings the entire time, smiled softly and nodded in approval.

"I couldn't ask for a more perfect centerpiece for our work of art. Am I right?" he mused and stroked his mustache. The guild chorused in an earth-shaking roar of approval.

"_**RIGHT**_!" Lucy hugged the wreath to herself, tears flooding her own brown eyes with overwhelming joy that they cherished her little creation so much. With a guiding hand on the small of her back, Gray turned her back to face the tree and, with a flourish of his hand, fashioned her a set of icy stairs up to its peak.

"Go for it, Lucy," he smiled softly down at her. Though she had her back turned, she knew the rest of the guild was wearing the same look. Like she was a fairy aflight, she ascended the stairs with her toes barely skimming the surface of the ice, like a fleeting winter wind rushing to the heavens. When she arrived at the top, she hefted the massive wreath over her head before settling it into the pine branches, giving it a little shake about to ensure it was secure before turning around with a gleeful shout. The stairs beneath her feet suddenly morphed into a slide, and with a shocked scream her legs went out from under her. She zipped down until a small bump sent her airborne, and she landed unsteadily on her feet, wobbling around while pinwheeling her arms. With a mischievous smirk dancing on his face, Gray steadied her with hands at her waist. She made a face at him, but couldn't be too mad, because it was all in the spirit of fun, of course. He then whirled her around so that she could meet her masterpiece, and all the breath left Lucy's lungs.

_Enchantingly gorgeous _was the only way that Lucy would ever be able to describe it. The soft glow of the fairy lights reflected off the shiny surfaces of the various ornaments to create sparkling glints against the deep green of the pine needles. The little fairies seemed to be fluttering as the light played over them, and the crystal stars absorbed the light to glow with a pulsing luminosity of their own. The rich tones of the red and vibrant hue of the green complimented the striking white well. At the crown of the tree, all their happy, smiling faces beamed down, with the beloved smile of their founder Mavis outshining them all. A single tear rolled down Lucy's cheek as she beheld it, and then she put her hand over her heart as it clenched with more joy than words could ever express.

"You guys… Let's do this again next year, okay? And the next, and the next… Forever…" she sniffled.

"_Of course_!" they hollered before jumping forward to envelop Lucy in a crushing, smothering, suffocating and _wonderful_ group hug. With her friends, her greatest treasures, enclosing her with tender arms, Lucy had never felt more loved. Her forever began right there, at that pivotal moment… Her forever with Fairy Tail.

Such was Lucy's first time decorating a holiday tree, but it certainly was not her last…


	17. Sunshine on a Winter's Night

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster

Requested By: mynameistakensohavethisinstead (Tumblr)

The sweet scent of gingerbread wafted up Lucy's nose, preceding the arrival of a serenely smiling Mirajane delivering a plateful of the artistically crafted, frosted little cookie men to the table where Lucy was in avid discussion with Natsu, Gray, and Erza. Mirajane's cooking in all capacities was always delectable, and so Lucy's mouth was watering in anticipation before she had even plucked one of the cute pastries off the plate. As she bit down onto the head of her choice, she instantly melted into a contented sigh as the sugary-sweet icing mingling with the sharp taste of ginger spread over her tongue. She mumbled her approval around the half-eaten head of the little cookie man, because truthfully, she didn't even want to remove the yummy treat from her mouth to speak. Erza, Gray, and Natsu were in similar states of rapture approaching food nirvana.

"Teehee! Thank you, you guys!" Mirajane flushed under the praise. With her composure so sweet and innocent, sometimes it really was a wonder that it belied such a dominatrix, murderous alter ego. Lucy munched happily on the little cookie, simply savoring it, before the white-haired woman's continuation piqued her interest. "I just wanted to get feedback on the new recipe I'm trying before Elfman, Lisanna, and I start on our annual gingerbread house!"

"Oh, right!" Natsu grinned as he scarfed down his fifth cookie. "Your gingerbread houses are always awesome, Mira!" He looked at Lucy with child-like delight. "Lucy, you've never gotten the chance to see it, have ya? Mira and the others make this _huuuuuuge_ gingerbread house and then _we __**eat**__ it_!" His sharp teeth glinted in ravish desire as he likely imaging tearing them into the side of a gingerbread mansion. Lucy looked up at Mirajane with a bright smile.

"Wow, Mira! You're so talented. I can't wait to see it- and taste it, if it's as good as this!" she laughed while licking gingerbread crumbs from her lips. Following another giggle of glee, Mirajane chatted with them for a few minutes before wandering off with her plate of remaining cookies to gather more opinions from the other members of the guilt. Now that her mind was absorbed with dancing visions of little gingerbread men and their candy houses, Lucy suddenly realized something. "Hmm… Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever built a gingerbread house."

"Really, Lucy?" Erza looked at her in mild shock. She then frowned slightly. "Well, it is tradition here in the guild… Many members have helped with the process in some capacity over the years… But that doesn't mean it's every family's holiday tradition, I suppose."

"My family didn't have many holiday traditions," she sighed while pursing her lips in a pout of self-pity. "My father didn't really believe in them… He said they got in the way of productivity." Though she and her father had since made amends before (and after, thanks to Lucy's soul-searching) his passing, her childhood still stung in many ways, including it seemed her lack of holiday cheer. The three of them looked at her with owlish eyes and gaping mouths. Erza's arms then surged forward to wrap around Lucy's head and literally pull her across the table to smother her into her chest; it would've been comforting, if Lucy's cheek had not instead met the cold and unforgiving surface of her steel armor. Oblivious, she nuzzled into Lucy's blonde waves while crooning supportive encouragements. After a bit of worming about in her iron grip, Lucy was able to push herself up onto her hands with a huff. "It's not that big of a deal! Honestly, guys, I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything!"

"I am _totally_ missing out!" Lucy wailed in dismay as she flopped face-down onto her bed. Ever since the conversation about the gingerbread houses, Lucy had been plagued with a blue feeling that made everything less sunny to her. Upon arriving home, she had tried soaking in a bubble bath, putting on fluffy pajamas, and working on her novel notes, but nothing had alleviated her mild depression. With a frustrated shout, she had slammed down her pencil and jumped up with angry tears in her eyes; no matter how much she had tried to deny it, missing out on the holiday tradition _got_ to her. With a low, miserable whine, she turned her head to the side to stare miserably at her bedroom wall. Lucy was not normally one to be melancholy over trivial things, but as she thought about it, it really wasn't trivial; the gingerbread house was merely a representative of another aspect of her rough, soulless childhood following her mother's passing. She knew there was no use sulking over it, but somehow she just couldn't will herself to crawl out of bed and stop entertaining the gloomy feeling.

That is, until she heard the doorbell ring.

She knew it wasn't Natsu, because he never bothered with the door and much preferred breaking in through the window like some common vagrant; her next logical conclusion was Gray. He stopped by from time to time by himself when he needed a change of pace, and would enjoy a cup of coffee and some small cookies with her every now and again. It had grown to the point where she had begun bouncing ideas for her novel off him, and though he didn't really read for fun or know the intimate details of her story, he always listened attentively and gave her his honest opinion. Sometimes he had some really insightful things to say; she had incorporated quite a few of them into her work in progress.

"Coming!" she called as she retracted herself from her cozy, warm covers like an inchworm moving backwards, throwing her head back with a small sigh and a jiggle of her shoulders as if she could literally shake off the gray cloud of dejection around her. It clung annoyingly to her, like a heavy cloak. The sky outside wasn't helping, as it was eclipsed by oppressive dark clouds that sapped the light and life out of everything and made the winter chill seem even deeper. Still, she couldn't keep Gray waiting too long or he would impatiently start pounding on her door, so nonetheless she slid from her bed to walk barefoot down the hallway and to her front door. She swung it open right at the moment Gray was going to start knocking wildly, as she caught him with an embarrassed expression and his arm raised in a fist. "Hey, what's up?" She tried to push as much false cheer and her usual optimism into her voice as possible, not really wanting to talk about her issues at the moment. Gray gulped slightly and then looked shyly down at his feet, which was unusual for him; it was then that she noticed he was hiding something behind his back. "Whatcha got?"

"Here!" he grunted and suddenly thrusted it into her hands, pushing her back out of the doorframe onto her hallway rug. Reeling at the abruptness of his action, it took her a moment to recover and actually look down at what he had presented her with. Her heart instantly scrunched in her chest with gratitude. In her hands was a small make-your-own gingerbread house kit, complete with all the decorating essentials. The gesture was overwhelmingly thoughtful. She found tears of a different kind brimming in her earth-brown eyes as she looked up at him with a genuinely moved smile.

"Gray, I… Thank you so much…" Apparently he had surpassed his initial timidity and awkwardness, because he now flashed her a pleased smirk. He slid one hand into the pocket of his coat while he raised the other arm to prop himself up against the doorjamb, and if one happened to pass by, it would not look unlike a man flirting with his lover. Lucy was too touched by his simple but considerate gift to even consider such notions.

"Of course. You didn't think I wouldn't notice how sad about it you were, did you?" Lucy's smile warmed and now she was the one who shyly cast her gaze to her toes, which were digging into the fluffy fibers of her rug as happiness sang through her nerves. Gray really did have a way of seeing right through her. Natsu did too, a lot of times, but there were also instances where she had been able to conceal them well enough for it to go unnoticed by her best friend… But somehow, Gray was able to sniff out her melancholies or worries like a bloodhound. He would appear out of the blue like this to present her with some little trifle or words of encouragement; in fact, one such occasion had been the springboard for his afternoon and evening visits. He pulled his hand out of his pocket to reach out and very gently rustle her tousled blonde hair, causing her to look up at him. The smile on his face was so impossibly sweet that Lucy practically melted on the spot. Her heart rate quickened and her body temperature climbed a few notches as a little voice in the back of her mind quipped that the emotion he was wearing could only be loving adoration. "I just can't stand to see you so sad, Lucy. You're the sunshine of our guild, you know." Lucy had to look down again because her face was crumpling as she fought back tears.

"Thank you," she whispered again with a voice like a fleeting breeze. She was just so overcome by all this, her emotional responses heightened due to her already tumultuous state. Gray just continued to soothingly comb through her blonde tresses with his fingers as she recollected herself. After a few minutes, she was able to take a deep breath and raise her head to smile sweetly at him. "Gray, will you make the gingerbread house with me?"

"Of course," he smiled back at her and walked inside. As he brushed past her on his way to the kitchen in an action that could only be deliberate, Lucy breathed in a sharp, barely audible breath as electricity skipped over her skin where his coat had lightly made contact. Clutching at her heart as it refused to still, she stared at the winter scenery beyond the ajar door. She had the feeling then that tonight, things would change…

After regaining her senses, she shut the door and joined him in the kitchen; he had deemed it necessary to strip off his coat and assemble the house bare-chested. Given it was one of his personality traits she had long since grown used to it; however, to her shock and mild horror, the sight of his shirtless stole all the breath in her lungs and she had to use all of her willpower to keep from ogling at his sculpted body. Of course she had always known Gray was attractive; many of the men of the guild were- but this was the first time that it was _painfully_ apparent and threatening to derail her focus. Gulping, she attempted to redirect her energy on opening the gingerbread house kit to inspect its contents. It wouldn't be a fancy, homemade creation like Mirajane's, as the gingerbread sheets came pre-cooked and packaged in plastic to ensure freshness alongside a sizeable container of frosting and various varieties of candies. Her anxiety was just beginning to subside as she anticipated the revelry of assembling the thing- that is, until Gray leaned over her shoulder to likewise inspect the goods and involuntarily pressed his abs into her back. Surely he must've felt the shiver that crawled up her spine, but if he did, he made no mention of it.

_I'm going to die before this is over, _she lamented with a small groan. _If Juvia doesn't bust down the door and kill me for crushing on Gray first! _Lucy was not oblivious to what was happening to her. She almost wished that Juvia and Gray were a confirmed item so she could squash all hopes of shenanigans happening her, but though Gray cared very deeply for the water mage, so far he had refused her many advances… Meaning that devilish little voice in her head could sing that she had a chance with him. _Oh my, _she just sighed silently and began opening the gingerbread packages with a quick prayer to preserve her sanity.

A floor, four walls, and two panels for a roof were contained in the packages. Lucy cracked open the jar of frosting and gave it a sample. It was surprisingly good considering it was in a cheap cooking kit, and she held up the jar for Gray to sample. She tried to keep her hand from trembling violently as his head dipped down next to hers to stick his finger into the frosting and scoop some up, looking at her as he very unnecessarily slowly drew it over his tongue.

"It's good," he remarked casually as if he hadn't done the most seductive thing Lucy had ever seen in her life. She turned stiffly from him as she felt her soul leaving her body. She wasn't going to survive this, no sir. All she could manage was a weak, shaky chuckle as she set the jar down, gripping it so hard the plastic would crack any second. _I can't tell if he's flirting or just so comfortable with me he doesn't care! _She wailed silently. She inhaled deeply as panic began to bubble up inside her. _Calm down, Lucy. Just treat this like any other night with Gray. Yeah. _

That was so goddamn hard to do with Gray looking like a bigger snack than the gingerbread house.

Lucy's hand was trembling the entire time she piped the icing across the gingerbread. It didn't help that Gray decided that the easiest way to put it together was for him to stand directly behind her and reach around her on either side to hold up the pieces while she generously applied frosting glue. Lucy knew for damn sure they looked like the intro to some cheap adult film, but what could she do? Gray was either completely ignorant of the implications or thoroughly enjoying playing her like a fiddle, but she didn't know, because his face remained stoic the entire time, except for when he would smile and make some comment that had no suggestive undertones whatsoever. By the time she finished icing white tiles onto the finished roof, she was exhausted- and they still had a heck of a lot to do!

When it came time to apply the candies, Lucy was able to relax just a little bit, because it was actually kind of difficult. Sometimes the candies were a little heavy- especially the gum drops, those annoying squishy bastards- and would fall from their spot, requiring her to stop what she was doing and apply more icing to try and secure it. Little by little, they applied the rainbow of candies, and when they were finished, she stepped back to admire their handiwork while sweeping the back of her arm across her forehead with a tired "phew."

It was actually pretty cute, now that she got a good look at it. They had a little gumdrop fence leading up to the front door, which had a window of glass-like candy and a little chocolate-chip doorknob. Gummy flowers decorated a small garden with a gardening gingerbread man (which she had iced herself and thought she had done damn well with all those little lines!). The roof tiles were made with the same glass-like candy as the windows, in a menagerie of colors to make an effect like stained glass. Finally, cotton candy puffed from a small chimney. Lucy could not help but beam broadly at their creation. She whirled around to throw her arms around Gray's neck in a hug, forgetting the earlier sexual tension in her glee. "It's wonderful! Thank you so much for this, Gray. I feel lots better!" Indeed, the cloudy gloom had finally subsided and she was her sunshiney self again. As she fell back onto the pads of her feet to look up at him, he smiled and swept a stray hand of hair from her face.

"No problem. I'm glad I get to see that smile of yours again." _Ba-bump! _went her heart like a drum against her ribs. The tension didn't take long to return. A blush dusted her cheeks like sparkling pink sprinkles that shifted further toward red with each second he spent staring thoughtfully down at her. Suddenly, he grabbed her lightly by the chin to turn her face to the side. "You've got frosting on your cheek," he remarked with amusement. _Oh my God, I really am in some cliché teenager's fantasy, _Lucy groaned inwardly but secretly relished it. She expected him to sweep his finger over it and pop it into his mouth and look hella fine while doing it, but instead he did something that no cheesy teenage novel could prepare her for: he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss into her cheek. Lucy's breath rattled as she drew it in, chocolate-brown eyes going wide.

"Gray…" she whispered. The longing in her voice called him forth, peppering kisses over her skin before arriving to her lips. His mouth feathered lightly over hers for a moment as stormy gray eyes greeted her, silently asking permission. She indicated such with her eyes fluttering closed and leaning her body against him, hands pressed against his chest. Despite her knowing it was coming, it was still such an explosive feeling once his mouth melted over hers like chocolate over her lips, soft and warm and sweet with the faint hint of the frosting. She inched herself up onto her tip-toes as she leaned dramatically into the kiss, simply drunk on the sensation of his mouth moving rhythmically over her own. He reached up to clutch a fistful of her hair to very gently twist her head to deepen the kiss, and though she thought it not possible, she swooned even further. They kissed like that for several minutes, deeply, passionately, before he pulled back. Her eyes opened to see him smiling wryly down at her, and his fingers teased through her hair in loving caresses.

"You're my sunshine, too, y'know," he breathed in a low voice aching with honest, raw emotion. Lucy's eyes scrunched up as she smiled so hard her face hurt, but she simply couldn't help it; God, she loved him, she _loved_ him for what he was doing to her and saying to her. She circled her arms around his neck and fondled the ends of his dark hair, her eyes never leaving his for a single millisecond. Still on her tip-toes and unsteady, his other hand gripped her hip to keep her stable. Tracing a finger across his sharp jawline, she smiled cutely at him.

"You've really got some smooth things to say, y'know? Do you know the things you do to a girl?" she asked teasingly. He snorted in laughter before bringing her into another soft, sweet kiss, and Lucy shined brighter than the burning sun to chase away the gray clouds and winter chill to make a little warm space just for herself and Gray to inhabit…


	18. Romance Dawn

Category: Mild Romantic Fluff

Characters: Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia

Requested by: searchfortheonepiece (Tumblr)

"_-Happy birthday dear Luuuuucyyyyy! Happy birthday to youuuuu~!" _

Lucy's cheeks were glowing an animated, happy pink as they hollowed for her to suck in a breath, then inflated as she released it to extinguish the sputtering little flames ornamenting the handful of candles that were decorating her birthday cake. As soon as the fires were diminished, Lucy's eager fingers plucked the wax constructions from the cake; the sooner she could have that mouthful of delicious confection in her mouth, the better! Mirajane's cooking and baking skills were both legendary, and the creamy texture of the buttercream icing and the flecks of moist cake dropping from the ends of the candles had Lucy's mouth nearly drooling. Mirajane, seeing her squirm in anticipation, chuckled and wasted no time in carving a large sliver from her creation. No sooner than it dropped down on a plate in front of her did Lucy dive into it was a plastic fork. She nearly melted into a puddle on the spot.

"Oh my God, Mirajane, it's delicious!" Her compliment was a bit distorted from the square of cake that was bulging in her cheeks, but Mirajane received it well enough.

"Why, thank you, Lucy. Happy birthday!"

As per tradition, the guild had orchestrated a massive birthday party to celebrate Lucy turning one year older. Following the eating (or, absolute destruction of) the birthday cake, the members participated in a number of fun, zany party games that of course took a turn for the deadly as the more monstrously powerful mages got a little bit too competitive. Juvia had to put out at least four fires that Natsu started, Natsu and Gray got in no less than seven fistfights, and somehow poor Wendy got suspended by the back of her dress from the chandelier and cried until Gajeel got her down. It was no less than what Lucy expected from a Fairy Tail party, and she thoroughly enjoyed it; however, even she had her social meter, and thus when everyone was occupied watching Cana and Erza in a beer-chugging contest, she stole out of the front entrance for a brief moment of respite.

They had been at it since about ten in the morning. As she closed the guild's door quietly shut behind her, she was a little amazed that the sun was setting already. _How time flies_, she marveled silently. The sun was only halfway down the sky, a thin streak of blue hovering over a cascade of yellow, orange, then deep red as the burning ball of light encroached on the cityscape that housed the Fairy Tail guild. The buildings were thrown into deep shadows as they eclipsed the roiling sun. Violet began to spill down from the north, slowly seeping into the slimming trail of blue sky like ink traveled down a page. A small, content smile was on Lucy's face as she leaned up against the outside wall of the guild watching the beautiful sunset. Life really was all able the simple pleasures. One by one, the stars blotted into existence, little glittering diamonds on a fluttering cape of night.

"Hey, Lucy. What're you doin' out here?" Lucy's brown eyes tore away from the splendorous display as she was suddenly address. The wooden door clicked shut behind Natsu as he stepped out onto the cobblestone street, looking at her with curious green eyes slightly offset with the tilt of his head. Before he could ask if she was dissatisfied in some way, she gave him a light, reassuring smile.

"Ah, I just came out here to get some fresh air, that's all! Who won the drinking contest?"

"Cana did, of course. Now Erza's _sloshed_," he answered. The sag in his shoulders and weary expression combined with the faint rumbling of upended tables and slung chairs echoing from within the massive building indicated that Erza's rage had been released upon the poor denizens of the guild. No wonder Natsu snuck outside too; he was sure to be caught up in it in one way or another if he lingered too long. His face only held that uncomfortable frown for a moment before it brightened to that beautiful, sunny smile that Lucy loved so dearly. Lucy loved so many things about him- that cotton-candy tufty hair that she so longed to run her fingers through, his magnetically energetic personality that seemed to draw her in so powerfully, those green eyes that shone like a grassy summer meadow threaded with emerald flowers… Yet, it was that smile that always captured her, so pure and alight with unbridled joy and child-like affection. Seeing it always made Lucy's heart clench in her chest- both from the absolutely absurd adorableness and the fact that Natsu likely didn't see Lucy in the way she saw him. _Ugh, don't think about stuff like that right now… It's your birthday, dammit!_

"Wow, it's gettin' dark fast," Natsu commented as he walked over to lean up against the wall beside her, hands slipped into the pockets of his baggy shorts. He was entire head taller than her, so she had to crane her neck to look at him; the way he was intently staring up at the setting sun made her suck in a small breath. The light played over him beautifully; his sharp jawline was accented into a ridge sharper than Erza's blades as the shadows passed over his body, and in other areas his skin took on a golden hue from the intensity of the sun's final moments. His green eyes sparkled with hidden flecks of treasured gold, while his cotton-candy hair seemed to burn all the brighter atop his head, almost the color of azaleas. Lucy's cheeks flashed that color as his green eyes flickered to meet hers; she was all but caught red-handed gawking at him like a lovestruck teenager. His canines flashed at her as a smug grin spread across his features. "Anyway, Lucy, I have a present for you."

"Oh?" Her embarrassment was immediately forgotten at the promise of a gift. He turned such that he was propped up against the wall at an angle, large bicep molding into the grain of the wood as his other hand fished deep into his pocket. Lucy's eyes widened as, with a triumphant grin, his arm flew up to reveal a fist wrapped around the slightly swaying silver chain of a pendant necklace. A couple of little star charms hung on the end of the necklace, and the celestial mage immediately felt her heart swell to the point of bursting with gratitude. "Oh, Natsu… It's so pretty…" she whispered as delicate fingers rose to run over the white enamel decorating the little silver star shapes. Natsu grin was brighter than the setting sun overhead.

"Lemme put it on for you!" he said with a motion for her to turn around. Lucy did as bid, her hand smoothly sliding her blonde pigtails away from the nape of her neck to allow him unrestricted access. She could not hide the sharp inhale of breath as his fingers ghosted over her skin, raising the small, light hairs at the base of her scalp at his feather-like touches. His nimble, sure hands attached the clasp at the back of her neck and the charms fell down against her chest, and Lucy thought that would be that; however, her entire body stiffened as she was greeted with an unexpected and riveting sensation- Natsu's lips, pressed against the small patch of skin just above where the chain wound around her slender neck. The tension of the chords of muscles in her body prompted him to push his lips further against her skin and give a sultry murmur of her name.

"N-Natsu," she stammered and compulsively reached up to enclose a hand around the star charms dangling at her neck, though she hadn't the faintest idea why; perhaps, she was in desperate need to ground herself on something corporeal, lest she float away from the sheer amount of helium-like bliss bubbling up inside her body. Natsu seemed to realize that she was in no way resisting. Lucy audibly evidenced that as she breathed a deep, shaky sigh at the feeling of his hands returning to her neck, one steadying over the pulsing beat of her jugular while the other slid forward to gently cup her chin, slowly pulling her face back over her shoulder. Lucy's hazy brown eyes were met with emerald pools of yearning desire and she lightly parted her lips on complete reflex. "Natsu," she breathed again, an open invitation.

Natsu didn't waste it.

A low moan hummed in her throat as his mouth enveloped hers. His lips were softer than clouds and sweeter than honey, melting over hers like the finest chocolate. The fluffy pink fibers of his hair weaved into her own long, trailing blonde strands as he moved rhythmically against her, like he wanted to feel every centimeter of her mouth and then some. The hand resting at the side of her neck slowly crept forward to push over the hand that was holding the star charms in a white-knuckled grip, slowly teasing her fingers apart to entwine them tightly with his. When they finally broke apart, they were both a little winded, their huffing pants for air mingling in the very thin stretch of July air between their faces. Lucy's eyes fluttered as she remained momentarily suspended in the lusty haze, while Natsu beamed broadly and rested his forehead against hers.

"Happy birthday." After the fog had finally lifted from her brain, Lucy blinked before giving him a sweet smile.

"Hehe, thank you, Natsu. I couldn't have asked for a better present."

As the sun finally dipped below the horizon to allow the curtain of night to fall, it signaled a new romance dawn for Lucy and Natsu's relationship…


	19. Fireside Confessional

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia

Requested by: Anonymous (Tumblr)

"Whooooooo! Let's go, _let's go_! _Camping, camping, __**camping~**_"

Lucy heaved a wearied sigh as she listened to Natsu and Happy's incessant chants, which had been ringing in her ears for the entire ten minutes that their camping party had been hiking up the campsite path. The cotton candy-haired mage and his Exceed familiar were a few paces ahead of her; Natsu was pumping his fists in the air so hard that his rolled-up sleeping bag atop his stuffed-to-the-brim-with-useless-bullshit hiking backpack shook wildly and precariously, while Happy was flying in circles around his head, bleating the word over and over again. Next to her, Gajeel whirled on his booted heel with the hundredth grumble in the last five minutes that he was walking home, while Levy tutted pleadingly and hung on his muscled arm while begging him to stay. All she had to do was bat those pretty doe eyes at him and he'd turn right back around, mumbling that he'd better because she was small and could be eaten by a bear. Lucy groaned as she rubbed her aching temples. She should have known better than to allow Levy to weasel her into this mess.

The blue-haired, stupidly cute mage had cornered her, basically, waving the pre-bought campsite passes in her face. "Camping is so incredibly romantic! You're gonna confess to Natsu on night number one, and then we'll have a whole weekend of fun double-dating!" Of course, Gajeel was completely out of the loop, because the brash dragon slayer would incessantly tease the poor celestial mage, and with Natsu's keen ears he would be bound to overhear something… Ugh, Lucy would never be able to live it down! Still, Levy was right to push her… Lucy had been sitting on her fledgling love for Natsu for such a very long time, and she just kept inventing excuses for not confessing. Gravel crunched under her foot as she slammed it down particularly hard. She sucked in a breath, hoping the mixture of gases would somehow grant her courage, and clutched her hand over her heart. _I will confess to Natsu tonight! No more holding back! _

She instantly deflated when she realized that actual words would have to come out of her _actual_ mouth. It was so much easier _thought_ than done… Miserably, her brown eyes watched the bobbing form of the handsome man several paces in front of her. When he whirled around to walk backwards and give her that incredibly beaming smile that rivaled the brightest of stars, Lucy's heart clenched within the vice of anxiety in her chest. Confessing to someone as easy to talk to as Natsu wasn't that big of a deal… Right?

* * *

_Wrong. _

Lucy's screams of self-pitying agony were muffled by the thick, sound-absorbent feathers within her pillow. Safe from prying eyes within the confines of her pitched tent, she writhed around in her unzipped sleeping bag to angrily slam her arms and legs around while her defiant screeching was securely absorbed by the pillow. After a minute or so, her strained muscles began to burn with exhaustion, so she lifelessly flopped them against the plush fabric of the sleeping bag, with her face remaining buried in the pillow. Too bad the fabric was annoyingly breathable, and she couldn't suffocate.

They had reached the campsite before noon. It had taken them all of twenty minutes to pitch their tents. It seems the heavens were on Lucy's side, because they had presented plenty of opportunities for the young woman to finally confess her love. They had gone swimming in the creek first since the heat had reached its peak for the day, and Lucy had slipped on the slick gray stones in the bed of the little waterway to all but land straddling Natsu's lap with her face centimeters from his. After that, they had gone hiking up a nearby trail and Lucy had been startled by something rustling around in the underbrush, and had instinctively leaped into Natsu's arms- and he caught her without thinking and asked her if she was okay, before giving her that aggravatingly attractive grin and telling her that he would protect her. The hike was long and had wasted most of the afternoon, so they settled around the fire as the sun was setting and cooked dinner, then marshmallows. Lucy's marshmallow had fallen off and she had felt quite sad about it; sooner than she could replace it, Natsu had pinched off a big gooey glob from his and held it out to her on his thumb, pretty much asking her to eat it off. And what did Lucy do at each and every single one of these glimmering, golden opportunities?

_Balk_. She went all doe-eyed and blushy and jittery, and oblivious Natsu had been none the wiser to her internal dilemma, acting his natural self while Lucy all but short-circuited. Now here she was, late into the evening cursing herself for her damned indecision. With a small, pitiful groan, she turned her head to peer at the small gap of starlight that was filtering in through her unzipped tent opening. Sound spilled in as well, the unrelenting deafening opera of crickets with the background chorus of the crackling fire, occasionally joined by the shaking of leaves and branches as the wind rolled through the ripple across the thin fabric of her little camping abode. She didn't imagine that anyone would be outside now, so she pushed herself up to crawl through the tent opening. It wasn't like she was going to sleep, anyway. She stood up, brushing the detritus and dirt she had accumulated on her bare knees crawling out, and then looked at the fire.

Lucy hastily whirled around to crawl back into her tent, froze, did an anxious wiggle of her fingers, took a deep gulp of breath, and then whirled back around. Sure enough, Natsu was sitting there, back to her as he gazed thoughtfully up at the brilliant full moon. Lucy stood stock-still as she gawked fearfully at him. He hadn't heard her. She could shimmy back in that tent and cocoon herself and he would never know. Yeah, that sounded lovely-

"Lucy?" Dammit, of course he smelled her. She managed to plaster a falsely saccharine smile on her face as his pink-haired head swiveled around to peek at her in curiosity. "I thought you were goin' to bed?"

"Hehe, I think all the camping excitement is still hitting me; I can't seem to get a wink!" she laughed, trying to control her nervousness, as she rubbed at the back of her neck. Well, she was in it now, so she forced her stiff legs to carry her over to the fire. He scooched over on the thick log that he was perched on, patting the spot expectantly. There went her plans of sitting as far away as possible. Her knees felt like they were encased in concrete, as they simply did not want to bend to allow her to slowly ease herself onto the log beside him; it took a lot of mental fortitude and internal cursing, but she managed to do so without looking too suspect. To further reinforce her façade that nothing was wrong in the slightest and she totally wasn't freaking out due to an unresolved crush that had been going on for what seemed like _forever_, she flashed him a cute smile. "What're you doing up?"

"Ah… Bein' out in the wild kinda reminds me of Igneel, y'know," he said with a wan smile, casting his gaze to the ground. Though he was smiling, Lucy could see the tension and pain in his expression; it was not the smile she knew, shining with the force of the sun. No, the light was one of a star in its dying breath, after the supernova when the last sputters of its life scream across the universe in a desperate plea for notice… Lucy's heart broke of the diminishing of Natsu's gleeful aura, and her own problems were momentarily forgotten. Wrapping her slim arms around the bulk of his bicep, she slid across the log to press her body reassuringly against him and lay her head on his shoulder. Natsu did not mind the intrusion of his personal space; in fact, he welcomed it. No sooner had Lucy's head nestled in the crook of his neck did his head angle down to rub slightly against hers, pink tufts teasing into golden streams like the weaving of an ornate tapestry. "I miss him."

"I know," she crooned softly. It was hard to remember with Natsu's overtly sunny disposition that he carried the deep wound of Igneel's departure and other darknesses within him. His light was so bright that it cast all of those into weak grey shadows, but night had to come sometime… Even for Natsu. One of her hands snuck around to begin rubbing soothing, rhythmic circles into the middle of his back, tracking a wide circumference. "I'm here for you, Natsu."

"Hehe, thanks. I feel better already!" _Hard to get him down for long, _she remarked silently with a small sniff of laughter. There he was, eyes scrunched up and cheeks rosy as he used every one of his facial muscles to smile luminously down at her. She couldn't help the way her eyes softened as she regarded him. He was simply so illuminating… It was hard not to be drawn in by that effortless charm and personality.

"I'll always be here, Natsu."

"I sure hope so. I dunno what I'd do without you, Lucy!" It was such a casual statement, but to Lucy, it was everything and more.

"I don't know… What I'd… Do without you either, Natsu," she whispered, forcing the words out of her thickening throat one by one. She had her toe in the door now; all she had to do was ease it open and step through… That wasn't hard…

Natsu's green eyes were blinking at her in befuddlement as she seemingly struggled to form simple sentences. She squirmed against him, unconsciously tightening her grip on his arm, as if she were afraid that he would leave. "I… I _love_ you, Natsu," she admitted in a voice no higher than a mouse's whisper. As much as she would've liked to be staring into those gorgeous, emerald green eyes of his, she simply could not bring herself to, and so her brown eyes were fixated on a particularly dead oak leaf by her foot instead. Her face was incredibly taut as she tensed in the wake of her admission. _There! I did it! Now screw off, Levy! _She scolded, though it was only in her own head where the bookish girl had no way of hearing. The breath Lucy was holding in her lungs grew staler with each millisecond Natsu regarded her with silence, mounting into a demanding scream for air. She was desperate for him to say something, but also manic for him not, because she had no idea what was running through that head of his because she couldn't read his expression because she wasn't looking, but she didn't _want_ to look, because then she could, and oh, _Jesus_, she thought she was going to faint-

"I love you too, Lucy." Oh, the huskiness in his voice was going to do her in. Her head was swimming like water sloshing around in a pail toted by a clumsy child on the beach, but Lucy ignored that and whipped her head up to meet his gaze. She couldn't read it for a minute, only because the hasty action had fogged her already muddled mind so much that her vision actually hazed for a moment. When it did clear, she found him chuckling amiably, seemingly amused by all her shyness. "You're cute when you're shy, y'know?" he said, lifting a hand to oh-so-delicately trace it down her jawline. Lucy's breath finally left her in a rattling, shaking wheeze, so transfixed she was by that simple gesture. His fingers caught her chin, tilting it up a little. Those magnificent irises that reminded her so much of dappled sunlight filtering in through a canopy of leaves drilled intently into her own, compliment her hues of brown like the mosaic of a tree trunk. She was so enamored that momentarily she forgot to be relieved that he had returned her affections at all.

_Natsu loves me. _That thought finally clicked in the gummed-up machinery of her mind, and instantly flipped the switch to activate a raging blush. He laughed at that, shoulders shaking with the light guffaws. Lucy couldn't help it. No amount of dreaming for that moment could prepare her… Her breath hitched as he swept the pad of his thumb across her bottom lip experimentally. "Can I kiss you, Lucy?" His voice was wonton with desire and passion, but he patiently awaited her answer, not wishing to cross any lines. Lucy's eyelashes fluttered wildly as her stupefied mind struggled to comprehend his question.

"O-of course… You don't have to a-"

He caught her completely unawares, and the way he grinned against her mouth indicated that the dastardly boy had done it entirely on purpose. Her shriek of alarm was swallowed by his mouth sensually crashing over hers. That's all it took for her rigid muscles to relax entirely; Lucy eased into his body, like he was a receding tide pulling her into him. His lips were so much softer and more pliant that she could ever imagine, like creamy fudge melting against her lips over and over again. He kind of tasted like chocolate, too, which surprised her; she would've imagined him having the musky undertones of roasted meat and the coarse tang of smoke, but instead, he was undeniably _sweet_. The hand on her chin spread out to grip it tighter and angle her head, because seemingly Natsu simply couldn't get enough of her; she shared the sentiment, really.

They broke apart after a minute or so, breathing a little labored and a thin sheen of sweat on both their faces. Natsu smiled alluringly as he leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers, those captivating eyes never leaving hers for a single second.

"Always, huh? I'm holdin' you to that." Lucy giggled and nodded in understanding. It was a hefty promise, but she had no intentions of breaking it anytime soon…

_~Bonus~_

Levy had a hand over her mouth to surprise the girlish squeals that were bubbling out of her lips at every riveting moment of watching Lucy finally confess her feelings. God, Levy thought she wanted it more than Lucy herself did! Watching her bungle throughout the day had been torturous, and she had told Gajeel if that girl didn't confess out by that fire, Levy was gonna storm out and do it herself, dammit! Luckily, that wasn't necessary.

"Ah! Aren't you happy for them, Gajeel~?" she trilled as she whirled around to throw herself onto his thick abdomen, crossing her arms and laying her head on them while kicking her small legs over her back and crossing her feet at the ankles.

"Sure," he grunted unconvincingly, eyes closed in half-sleep. Levy puffed out her cheeks defiantly. What a bore he was! He sensed her displeasure, as he cracked an eye open and flashed that wolfish smile at her. "Fine, it's nice to see the two pining losers finally use enough brain cells to riddle it out." Levy rolled her eyes at his brusqueness, but at least it was an answer. Now that her mission was accomplished, she could finally enjoy being with her man, though! With a happy chuckle, she snuggled up into him such that half her body was splayed over his upper half, her head just resting at the base of his chin. As he craned his head up to greet her, their noses lightly brushed. "You're in a good mood."

"Of course! Now my best friend can be as happy as I am~" she purred delightedly. Her body shook as chuckled rumbled in Gajeel's sturdy chest, and it almost felt like the consistency of a cat purring atop her. One of his tree-trunk arms lazily rounded around her comparably tiny and delicate waist, and he tilted up slightly to press a chaste little kiss to the tip of her nose. Levy hummed in contentment, and when his head flopped back down against the pillow, hers descended to bury into the warm, welcoming junction of his neck and shoulder.

"Heh, I guess I should be glad for Natsu, if he's as happy as I am with you," he grunted after a minute, voice drawled with sleep. Levy's lips curled into a rosy smile against his neck, and out of habit, she reached up to thread her fingers through his thick locks of wiry black hair.

"Mhmm… Just wait until all the fun double dates tomorrow~"

"Aw, _hell_-"


	20. Call It Destiny

Category: Mild Romantic Fluff

Characters: Juvia Lockser, Natsu Dragneel

Requested By: AwarenessBringer (FanFiction)

_Clack. Clack. Clack. _Juvia's boots clunked over the wet brick as she slowly descended the steps of the Hargeon Town train station. The drumming of the rain was steady against her umbrella that she held primly over her head. She did not look up as two girls holding their small bags over their heads hurried past, complaining loudly about the fact that the rain had seemingly followed them the entire train ride; Juvia's indigo eyes remained fixed on the countless puddles before her, transfixed and disgusted with the way the ripples bloomed across their sheer surfaces. The raindrops flew down endlessly in a constant stream that would be calming to individuals lounging inside their homes waiting for the rain to pass. Juvia almost pitied them, because they would be stuck inside a very long time at that rate. Until she left this town, the rain would not cease; that was the curse that she, the rain woman, wrought upon the world.

For once, however, Juvia could admit that her rain served purpose. The damp, wet atmosphere would surely suit perfectly to douse the fire of one Fairy Tail mage named "the Salamander."

Juvia knew not how Bora came to calling himself that name. The last she had heard, he had been excommunicated from his former guild for the use of illegal magic and thievery. She also knew not why Fairy Tail, a supposedly upstanding guild, would hire him, unless he had somehow managed to hide his shady pastimes. Juvia was also not sure what had compelled her to come to Hargeon Town. Was she seeking revenge for the way he had so unceremoniously and callously dumped her? Was she here to reveal his nefarious nature for Fairy Tail to see, or, alternatively, reveal Fairy Tail's shady underbelly to the world? Or even, was she here to see if all of this was just some vain attempt of his to upset her, by flaunting how successful he was while she was still alone and depressed? Perhaps none of them, or perhaps a combination of all of them. Juvia supposed that she would discover her reasoning once she was actually face-to-face with the man.

The streets were largely clear as Juvia strolled through them, thanks to the perpetual rain pouring from the heavens above. Her expression soured a little as she considered the possibility that the weather would drive Bora inside as well, which would make confronting him all the more difficult. As she paused in the middle of the street to articulate her next move, the drumming of the rain was suddenly overtaken by very furious slapping footsteps. The sound was coming from behind her; as she turned, leaning the umbrella back to get a good look at the perpetrator, someone zoomed past her at such speed that a wall of water was what was greeted her instead. She squeaked loudly as she was splashed with rainwater from head-to-toe; Juvia could absorb it and was more surprised than affronted. As she used her magic to do just that, there was a loud screeching noise, and she looked up to see a pink-haired individual rapidly back-tracking to stand in front of her.

"Whoa! Sorry about that. Didn't mean to drench ya!"

Juvia had to admit, a faint blush rose to her cheeks from how absolutely stunning his smile was. It was so bright that she thought for a moment that the sun had actually come out and she instinctively looked up; however, the sky was still choked with ashen gray clouds, not a ray of sunlight slipping through the thick barrier. She glanced back down to see that he was now a mere few inches from her face, green eyes boring into hers. "Wait a second, where'd the water go? What kinda magic is that?!" he demanded with steam blowing out of his nostrils.

"Juvia is a water mage," she answered simply. His pink eyebrows quirked before he nodded emphatically in admiration.

"Neat, neat! I guess it's a good thing I splashed you instead of anyone else!" he laughed lightheartedly. It was then that she noticed that the man did not have an umbrella on his person and was just running about getting drenched in the rain. His salmon hair was plastered to his forehead, and water was running down his face in rivulets to drip down from his chin. His clothes were sodden and probably a few shades darker than they normally were.

"You'll catch cold running around in the rain like this."

"Nah, don't worry about me," he said while waving a hand dismissively. Juvia flushed darkly, for some reason very stimulated by the fact he brushed off the rain when everyone else she had ever known had griped about it being such an inconvenience. _He doesn't mind it… _He then planted it above his eyebrows and because looking about wildly, squatting low to the ground as he inspected every nook and cranny in sight. "I'm on a mission, ya see, to track down this fella callin' himself the Salamander!" From the way he was huffing and puffing, it was not because he was a fan.

"Juvia is also looking for this fire mage." The boy straightened up like a rod to look at her with wide eyes. Another grin then split his face like a sunbeam.

"Really?! Well, why don't we look for him together, then? Three pairs o' eyes is better than two, yeah?" Juvia narrowed her eyebrows quizzically, but before she could call his intelligence into question, a pair of blue cat ears poked up over his broad shoulder. This was followed by the head of a cat and its paw, waving in greeting.

"Aye, aye! Let's get looking, because the sooner we find him, the sooner we can eat!" He purred contentedly.

"It talks."

"Yep! This is my buddy Happy, and I'm Natsu. You're Juvia, right?" She nodded. "Great! Nice ta meetcha!" he chirped and grabbed her hand to shake it vigorously. His hand was warm. Incredibly so. Juvia felt the blooming sensation travel up her arm, like she was dipping it into a lovely bath. _Natsu… _Normally Juvia did not concern herself with others, especially when she had a specific mission in mind, but there was just something so… gripping about this young man. She gripped the fabric of her overcoat above her heart, feeling it flutter within. _Juvia has not felt this way since Bora… _

She was not sure if it was a portent of doom or an omen foretelling better days. Only time would tell.

"Let's get going, shall we?" Natsu whirled on his heel to begin splashing along down the road, humming cheerfully. Juvia hurried to catch up to him and then extended the umbrella so that it would shield him as well. He was a bit taller than her, so she had to stretch her arms up to do so, and she was almost embarrassed at how quickly her biceps began to burn at the awkward angle. _Regardless of what he says, Juvia does not want him to become ill because of her rain, _she thought miserably. He looked down at her with upturned eyebrows. "You don't have to. I'm okay."

"Please. Juvia wants to share."

"That's really nice of you!" he smiled brightly. "That looks uncomfortable, though; lemme help." She gasped lightly as he plucked the umbrella right out of her hands to hold it up himself. Juvia wasn't used to not holding it, so her hand automatically slipped to clutch his forearm where it was bent at a ninety-degree angle; once she realized what she was doing, her face flushed tomato-red, but honestly his muscles felt so nice and defined under her petite hand that she shamelessly kept doing so. Natsu didn't seemed to mind; in fact, he seemed pretty much oblivious to it. "That's better, huh?" he grinned down at her.

"Aye, aye! Thanks for the umbrella, Juvia!" Happy sighed as he crawled up onto Natsu's shoulder. He then proceeded to squat down and shake himself from the top of his head to the tip of his tail, splattering Natsu with raindrops. The boy jumped as they painted the side of his head and face.

"Hey, hey, hey, watch it, will ya?" he whined loudly as he tilted his head to try and shake the drops out of his ears. Juvia could not help but giggle at their amusing antics. _They get along so well… _"Yeesh… I'm starving," Natsu whined all of a sudden and clutched his growling belly with his free hand. "I can't wait to find this Salamander guy and then get some grub."

"Do you know who he is?"

"Nope. All I know is he's calling himself the Salamander. I'm hoping he's my master, Igneel!" At the mention of his name, Natsu's green eyes began to sparkle. He looked so overjoyed at the prospect that Juvia wrestled with crushing his hopes, but she did not wish to see him incredibly upset when he discovered the true identity of the fire mage.

"Actually… He is a mage named Bora."

"What?!" Natsu stopped in his tracks to look poutily at her. "You mean we came all this way for _nothing_? Aw, man… And I was so hopin' I would get to see Igneel again," he griped aloud. Juvia looked down at her feet miserably. Should she have not told him?

"Juvia is sorry to have to be the one to tell you…"

"Nah, it's okay," he sighed deeply. She peered out of the corners of her eyes to see him rubbing his neck and smiling gratefully down at her. "I 'preciate it. It woulda been a bummer to come all this way and it be just some random dude. I guess me 'n Happy should grab some grub and then head back to Fairy Tail."

"You are from Fairy Tail?"

"That's right!" he snickered and turned to show off his bright pink guild mark on his upper arm.

"Then that must mean Bora is not a member of Fairy Tail." As she had suspected, he was abusing the guild's name to build clout. What could he possibly be up to? Juvia was busy considering the possibilities and did not notice that he had closed the distance between them again; after a second, her eyes registered his brilliant green ones centimeters away, and her face turned redder than ever.

"What? What're you talkin' about?"

"Rumor has it that Salamander is a Fairy Tail mage. Bora has been calling himself by this name. Juvia knows Bora well; he is not a very good man. He has gotten in trouble for many bad things…" Natsu's eyes narrowed into sharp peaks as he stiffly straightened back up. His grip tightened so hard around the umbrella's handle that his knuckles glared white and she feared the plastic may splinter.

"So that's it, huh? Well, I can't stand by while somebody is tarnishin' our good name. I think this calls for an ass-kickin', don'tcha agree, Happy?!" The cat trilled in agreement over his shoulder. "I'm all fired up now!" His grin was absolutely feral, but something about it filled Juvia with excitement. She barely knew him, but somehow she felt as if she could follow him to the ends of the Earth. Her heart began to pound wildly in her chest again, and despite her many wills, it refused to still.

_Natsu… _

"It is very good fortune that Juvia met you today," she remarked with a tiny smile.

"Nah," Natsu said nonchalantly. For a second her heart threatened to break at his dismissiveness, but when she looked up at him, he was smiling broadly. "I don't believe in luck! Let's call it destiny! When we're done here, you should totally come back to Fairy Tail with me, Juvia!" he offered. Juvia's eyes widened as she stared at him in shock. _Juvia… Join Fairy Tail? _Her fingers were twisting so hard into her overcoat that she felt she could tear the thick, cottony fabric. She was so… happy. Juvia could not the last time she felt that emotion so purely and strongly.

"Yes… Juvia will gladly come to Fairy Tail!" she cried and nodded emphatically.

"Great! Ass-kickin' first, though."

"Yes!"

They tracked Bora to a cruise liner docked at the port. It took a lot of convincing to prevent Natsu from charging in fires-a-burnin', but she managed to convince him to do so. Apparently, Bora had been seen courting a large group of ladies and they had all migrated onto the ship. Juvia had several ideas about why Bora would be so interested in women, and none of them sat well with her. One peek through the windows validated her concerns; throughout the dining hall there were woman slumped over tables or collapsed on the floor with half-finished drinks still in their hands. They were casually discarded as men in suits hauled them off into another room.

"Human trafficking…" Juvia murmured under her breath.

"What a buncha bastards," Natsu growled in agreement. "I can't stand by and watch this anymore!" Before Juvia could rebuke him, he punched through the window to charge into the room, bright fire alighting all over his arms. She cried aloud and looked around wildly, unsure of what to do, before she decided to hop into the interior of the ship after him. Natsu had already slammed the two lackeys into the wall to knock them unconscious and was now plowing through the wooden door breathing fire. "Come out, you asshole! I know you're in here!"

"I would appreciate it if you stopped making a mess of my ship," sighed a voice from behind Juvia. The two mages whirled on their feet to see Bora holding a squirming blonde by her wrists. As Natsu went to wind up for a punch, Bora clicked his tongue and jerked on the girl's arm, making her wail in pain. "Ah, ah, ah. Wouldn't want to have to break the pretty lady's arm here. Why don't you fizzle out for a second, yeah?" Bora sneered at Natsu before his eyes drifted to Juvia. They instantly narrowed in confusion. "What?! What are you doing here?"

"Juvia has come to put a stop to your villainy!" He stared at her, then snorted and looked back to Natsu.

"So, this your new boyfriend? He sick of the rain yet?" Juvia flushed bright pink and slapped her hands to her cheeks, bleating about how Natsu wasn't her boyfriend at all, but froze in horror when he mentioned her rain. She looked at the fire mage in terror to see him staring quizzically at Bora. "Ah, haven't figured it out yet, eh? This woman's a curse. Makes it rain wherever she goes. It gets old real quick; that's why I dumped her." Juvia hung her head as she hugged herself. She couldn't speak of for herself, but her mind was just melancholy echoes of _No… Juvia is not a curse… _

"You're a real piece o' work, you know that, asshole?" Natsu snarled. She peered back at him to see him slamming a fist into his palm, fire blooming at the area of contact. "What's wrong with rain, huh?"

"Yeah! It makes all the flowers grow and it smells really nice and fresh~" Happy trilled with a wiggling tail.

"You said it, Happy! I'm sure there are plenty o' people out there who would see Juvia as a blessing. So, kindly let me punch the snot outta ya for disrespectin' her like that, okay?" Natsu hunched down, fist drawn back with fire swirling within, but Bora once again made use of his hostage. He did not expect the girl to have plenty of fight left in her, however, because once he was distracted by Natsu, she slammed the heel of her boot as hard as she could into his toes. Bora yowled in agony and let her go to begin bouncing around on one foot, while the girl snatched a ring of jangling silver and gold keys to hurriedly dash over and hide behind Juvia.

"I dunno who you people are, but we have to save all the girls on this ship!"

"We're Fairy Tail mages!" Natsu grinned brightly. Juvia's cheeks darkened as she smiled happily, her heart beginning to flutter again. She hadn't even officially joined yet, but he was already acknowledging her as a comrade? The girl began screaming about how she wanted to join Fairy Tail too and that they were going to talk after Bora was effectively handled. Now that the girl was free, Bora hand no shield, and Natsu was rearing up for a big attack.

"Take this, ya scumbag!" Natsu's chest suddenly swelled up as he breathed in deeply, and the two girls watched in admiration as he released a billowing white-hot flame from the pits of his lungs. "_Fire Dragon's Rooooooooar_!" Just barely audible over the rushing of the flames was Bora's high-pitched totally unmanly screaming as he was blasted through the hull of the ship and out into open water. Natsu snickered and wiped at his mouth, grinning at the large hole in the side of the cruise liner. "Well, that takes care of that."

"You _idiot_! Everything's on _fire_!" the blonde girl screeched and ran over to bonk him over the head.

"Who _are_ you, anyway?!" Natsu whined, crouching down as he rubbed his bruised noggin.

"My name's Lucy!"

"Um! Lucy! Please do not hit Natsu! And don't worry, Juvia can handle the fire," the water mage quipped suddenly before she scampered over to the gaping hole in the hull of the ship. She gathered some of the sea water below and surged it through the opening, splashing it over the flickering flames to quickly douse them before they spread too far. _I will show Natsu that I am worthy to join Fairy Tail! _She thought with glee as she willed the water about the room. She got a little excited, though, and three very loud complaining yelps indicated that she had accidentally drenched the others. She laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck as Lucy and Natsu gave her thin-lipped glares. "Juvia is sorry…"

They handed Bora over to the authorities and the drugged women were transported to the nearest hospital for treatment. Now, the three mages and Happy were sitting along the cobblestone wall overlooking the harbor. Lucy had related the tale of her own search for the Salamander and how she had ended up on the cruise liner and foiled Bora's plot.

"This turned out great, huh?" Natsu laughed with a beaming smile. "Now I can take the two of you back to Fairy Tail with me! Gramps'll be pleased." His scarf swished as he hopped down off the wall and stretched his arms above his head. "He ain't gonna be pleased about the property damage to the cruise liner that scumbag was renting…" he mumbled with lidded eyes. He then whirled around to point at the two of them. "Anyway! How's about dinner, yeah? I'm starving after all that butt-whoopin'!"

"It wasn't even a butt-whoopin'; you took him out in five seconds…" Lucy muttered under her breath, then smiled. "But, I've heard of a nice place in town. Follow me!" She hopped off the wall to begin skipping down the street with Happy flying (apparently, he could conjure wings, the strange little cat creature) behind her. Juvia jumped down from the wall and turned to follow when suddenly Natsu's hand was extended out to her.

"You must be really happy, huh?"

"Oh… Yes. How could you tell?" she blinked. Ever since Natsu had offered for her to join Fairy Tail, she had possessed this floaty feeling in her body, and her heart had refused to be still. Juvia had been hesitant to call it love, since it had landed her in plenty of trouble in the past, but she also couldn't deny that it was strongly familiar. Natsu cocked his head to the side as he scrunched up his eyes from a big smile.

"It stopped rainin', you know?"

Juvia gasped and snapped her neck back to look at the sky. Sure enough, it was brilliantly blue and cloudless. Her indigo eyes shook as she beheld the thing that had been veiled to her for as long as she could remember. They filled up with tears that soon spilled over onto her cheeks, and her mouth twisted into a brokenly overjoyed smile.

"It's… So beautiful… It has been so long since Juvia has seen the sky…"

"Juvia." Her head slowly fell back down to meet his brilliant green eyes. In the back of her mind, she thought they complimented her shade nicely. "Let's go. To Fairy Tail." Juvia extended a trembling hand to slide it into his, and his fingers grasped on tightly. His hand was so warm and welcoming and kind. It had been so long since Juvia had felt such caring emotions from someone. She used her other hands to quickly wipe at her cheeks as Natsu lurched her forward, laughing animatedly. Her feet carried her onward, towards her new future.

Juvia thought for a moment that it was good luck she took the train to Hargeon Town, then corrected herself.

_No, not luck… Call it __**destiny**__. _


	21. A Place to Come Home To

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Gajeel Redfox, Levy McGarden

Requested By: Anonymous (Tumblr)

Gajeel's boots made harsh scraping sounds against the landing as he staggered through the front door, the moonlight framing the harsh lines of his rugged form. He sluggishly pawed at the heel of one boot with the toe of the other until he could shimmy his foot out, repeating the motion with the other, not even bothering to untie the laces because he was so damn tired and it would take too damn long. He had only just shrugged through the door, but the simple fact that he was homed flipped a switch in his brain; the exhaustion had rammed him like a freight train, making him stumble around like a drunk vagabond as he attempted to shuffle over the landing. He grumbled under his breath as he fumbled around in the dark. It was late, at least two or three in the morning, and it was not his desire to awaken Levy.

Somehow, he managed to meander his way into the living room. With a loud groan, he just flopped himself over the back of the couch, allowing gravity to do the work so that he flipped over it to land in the soft, welcoming cushions. He was so tired that he didn't even bother with a pillow or a blanket. His muscles were aching and pulsing with overwork, so they gladly accepted the embrace of the couch and his mind instantly began to drift into a pleasurable slumber. His eyes had just managed to drift shut when he heard the soft pitter-patter of bare feet down the linoleum of the apartment hallway.

"Gajeel? Is that you?" Levy called hesitantly. _Guess I wasn't quiet enough, _he grumped.

"Yeah," he called out to her. "Didn't mean to wake you up." He had not the strength to even lift his head, so his reply was a bit muffled by the thick fabric of the couch. His sensitive ears registered the soft, almost childlike shuffling of her feet as she approached the small lamp situated on the end table and the click of the switch. His eyes twitched as bright yellow light blossomed in the room, sending the darkness fleeing into the nooks and crannies. He buried his face further into the couch, eyes stinging at the sudden brightness, as Levy tentatively walked around the side of the couch to look down at him. He could very well imagine her expression; he had seen it time and time again, blue eyebrows knitted together, pink lips slightly pursed, olive eyes round and wide with her hand clutched over her heart.

"Are you okay?" It was evident from the fact that he was face-planted in the couch with half his legs slung over the armrest that his mission had been arduous, to say the least, so sensible Levy skipped right to the important parts. His lips tugged upwards into a small smirk. Good call for him to fall in love with a smart girl who wouldn't pester him with useless questions.

"Yeah. Just tired." It was a gross understatement. "Tired" could run circles around him at this point. Laying on the couch had almost seemed to worsen his pain; all the energy spent on moving was now in excess, so his brain could only focus on the sharp, pulsing throb of his overworked muscles and the stinging scrapes and bruises dotting his body. Gajeel had completed the mission well enough, but even he wasn't too proud to admit that he had suffered an ass-kicking doing it. "Let's just say that the poster description was a little lacking," he sighed wearily to his beloved as she edged closer to the couch, her nervous glance sweeping him from head to toe.

"Gajeel…" He clicked his tongue at her saddened tone. That wouldn't do. Though his muscles screamed in protest, he rolled onto his side to wrap his muscular arms around her little waist. She yelped in surprise as he suddenly tugged her close, knees bumping against the cushions of the couch, and buried his face into her belly.

"I'm fine," he groused against her navel. Her body was tense from his sudden movements, but easily relaxed against him, embracing him into her warmth. Her small hands fell to begin teasing into his long, wiry black hair, drawing a contented hum from his throat. Levy gave damn good head-scratches (not that he would _ever_ admit he enjoyed partaking in them to anyone else). Her nails scored thin lines into his scalp with just enough pressure to be pleasant, over and over again to tease apart the sweat- and grime-coated strands.

"You did a good job. My big, strong Gajeel," she cooed appreciatively. Gajeel smiled as he inhaled her scent, parchment with just the faintest hint of mint. He had no idea how the hell she could smell like mint when she stayed inside and pored over books all day, but she did, and it was always as refreshing as if he were smelling the aromatic leaves themselves. One of his hands began drawing abstract patterns into the back of her nightgown to the pace of her weaving her fingers through his hair. "You should come to bed. You're exhausted."

"Ain't movin'." More like he _couldn't_ move. It felt like his entire body was weighed down with iron weights- and he knew a thing or two about how heavy iron was. If he tried to get off that couch, his ass would have to _crawl_ to bed. Levy sensed this and giggled slightly, playfully muttering about how incorrigible he was. He dropped his arms from around her, expecting her to just go back to bed and leave him there to pass out on the couch; however, she instead pushed firmly on his left shoulder to make him roll onto his back. Instinctively, he adjusted himself to fit better, while Levy tucked one of the throw pillows under his head.

"You'll get cold out here," she remarked. Then, without warning, she threw one of her skinny legs over his to wedge it between his and the back of the couch, then climbed up on top of him, wrapping her arms around his thick middle and laying her cheek against his chest. His eyebrows quirked at her unprompted action, and then twitched his mouth as her blue hairs tickled the underside of his chin. As her thin arms wound loosely around his neck, his hands came up to gently hold her forearms. "Let me keep you warm," she sighed as she nuzzled the area over his heart before craning her head back to look at him with glittering olive eyes filled with far more love than he should ever deserve. He shot a breath of air out of his nose in a small snorting laugh before his face relaxed into a loving expression; his hands slowly ran over her arms until they arrived at her shoulders, where one of his hands rose to tease his fingers into _her_ hair. As he played with the wavy strands while she hummed graciously, eyes drifting shut.

"You sure? This can't be comfortable."

"I'm sure. I'm small, you know. The bed is too big and lonely without you."

The cords of Gajeel's heart thrummed at her words. _God_, he never knew it was possible to love someone so much, and he fell _more_ in love every single day.

"I missed you too, Lev," he murmured, dipping his head to drop kisses along the top of her forearm slung around his thick neck, while his hand continued to strum through her hair. Her small frame rose up and down with every breath he drew. She really was so small, compared to him, but she was far from a delicate thing. That's one of the many, many things Gajeel loved about Levy. "Thank you."

"Of course," she yawned, craning her neck again to blink blearily up at him with a sleepy smile. "I'll always be here for you to come home to." His other arm dropped down to her waist to grip it tight, pulling his up the length of his body until her face was hovering over his. Her little fingers skipped over his studded piercings, eyes glimmering as she admired his rugged face. "Just come home to me, that's all I ask."

"Always," he promised in a solemn whisper. She molded into him as her face dipped down to meet his lips in a sweet kiss. He swept the chunks of blue hair that fell into her face, tucking it behind her ear as he held the side of her head to hold her in the passionate moment. As he kissed her, the woman who held the whole of his heart in her tiny little hands, Gajeel thanked his lucky stars that he had such a wonderful place- and person- to come home to.

He fell more in love and thanked his lucky stars every single day. Every _single_ day, because it was far, far more than he deserved.


	22. Strawberry-Lemon

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Lucy Heartfilia, Natsu Dragneel

Requested By: searchfortheonepiece (Tumblr)

Natsu's nose twitched as a heavenly scent wafted up his nose, and, like a demon preparing to rob a baby from its cradle, he squatted on all fours in the frame of Lucy's window, salivating shamelessly as she aroma drifted in through the entryway of her kitchen. If he had a tail, it would be wagging non-stop; whatever she was baking in the kitchen smelled absolutely delectable, and it was making him _ravenous_. The instant he had caught wind of it on the street, he knew he had to have it. Really, Lucy was all but inviting him in; why else would she leave the windows open and allow it to spill out into the cobblestoned streets? She would've known that Natsu would come pestering her on a Saturday; it was _ritualistic_ at this point. Well, Natsu wasn't about to refuse a downright open invitation for food, now was he?

Lithe as a jungle cat, he hopped down from the windowsill to prowl across the laminate floor of her apartment, swiping his tongue across his lower lip and taking a second to suck up some of the drool leaking from his grinning mouth. Lucy wouldn't like it if he slobbered all over her floor like a hound dog. His stomach was twisting into knots at the anticipation; it was baying like a hound itself, and he put a hand over his belly, drawing his abs tight in a vain effort to silence its greedy howls. He had no idea what exactly she was making; he only had a clear view of the kitchen table from his perch, not the counters or oven, so he was literally vibrating in suspense. Natsu liked meat best, but sweets were a close second. Could she be making a cake? Cookies? Pastries? Ugh, he had to _know_ and then sink his teeth into whatever it was!

His footfalls were silent as he snuck down the hallway. Just as he had arrived in the entryway, nearly panting like a dog with his pupils shrunk down in voracious desire, his belly gave a particularly adamant yowl of demand. He froze as the gurgling sound echoed in the quiet apartment, staring at Lucy as she jumped and whirled around. She was holding a plastic spatula coated with some pink batter, and it splattered across the countertop and floor with her sudden movement. Natsu's face slowly turned the color of his hair as he gawked owlishly at her, one leg still hiked up in a tip-toe and his arms held out wide on either side to maintain his balance.

"You didn't have to sneak in here, you know," she said finally once she realized it was the dragon-slayer who had come calling. She jutted out a hip, resting her prim little hand on it as she puffed out her cheeks indignantly. "I left the window open for a reason! Jeez, you're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days."

A stupidly giddy smile split Natsu's face at the fact that Lucy had indeed left the window open just for him. His foot fell down to the floor in a happy little scamper. He pranced like a baby deer up to her, green eyes alight with glee as he peeked into the bowl of pink batter she had been stirring before he startled her. His nostrils flared as he breathed in deep, his heightened senses allowing him to discern that the delicious scent he had been so enraptured with was strawberry. No wonder he had been gripped with an overwhelming need; strawberries reminded him of Lucy's smell. Hers had a slight undertone of lemon, though, which made for an interesting combination that made Natsu's tongue tingle a little bit every time he caught a whiff of her.

"What are you making?"

"Cupcakes!" she answered jovially with another twirl. She jabbed the spatula back into the bowl of batter to resume stirring it with gusto. "Valentine's Day is coming up, and so I thought that I might make cupcakes for everyone at the guild."

"That's gonna be a lot of cupcakes," he frowned thoughtfully as he tried to do the math in his head. It proved too daunting a task. It seemed he had arrived before any of the cupcakes were finished, so he walked over to her kitchen table to flip a chair around and straddle it, resting his crossed arms on the chair's curved back and propping his chin down on the meat of his forearm.

"Where's Happy?"

"He's with Wendy and Carla. We were walkin' and happened to run into 'em, and they said they were going shopping, so he went with 'em because Wendy promised to take him to the fish market." Lucy laughed and said something along the lines of "sounds like him." Natsu had stopped listening because he was enthralled with the way her body moved as she repeatedly swirled the thick batter around, her arms flexing with each turn. One wouldn't think it when looking at her, but Lucy was toned; his keen green eyes flickered as he watched the tendons subtly stretch beneath the milky skin of her arms. Her hips bounced a little too as she dug into the batter, trying to eliminate any remaining chunks of powdery batter. _Sexy… _he thought absentmindedly.

Natsu's face immediately blazed with a fiery blush again, and he hurriedly jerked his gaze away to the much less interesting bag of flour beside her. Natsu really didn't know what to do when it came to Lucy. He liked Lucy, a lot; he probably even loved her. He just didn't understand it all that well. He had never been in love before. He knew that platonic love and romantic love were supposed to be different, but he didn't know how to act differently to express how he felt. He was handsy and made off-handed comments and such, thinking Lucy may get the hint, but so far it seemed to him that she thought they were really, _really_ good friends. That was true, of course, but it was frustrating because Natsu wasn't sure how to _upgrade_.

"There. That oughta do," Lucy said to herself. He looked back to see her grab a nearby baking ban for heart-shaped cupcakes. With a small grunt, she hoisted the heavy bowl of batter up and began spooning it into the holes. She had clearly made double or even triple the recommended amount in order to feed the whole guild, because the bowl was nearly spilling over with the frothy pink stuff. Natsu's eyebrows quirked as he noticed her arm begin to tremble violently with the strain of hefting it up, and she began to grow red-faced and out of breath. Wordlessly, he slung his leg over the chair to push himself up and tottered over, easily hooking his arm behind hers to push the bottom of the bowl up with the flat of his hand and reduce the strain on her. "Oh, thank you, Natsu!" she cried, throwing him a grateful, beaming smile. Natsu felt his heart constrict in his chest, and the twisting pain almost made him drop the bowl. God, he loved it when she smiled. It was so gorgeous that it was enough to make a man's heart halt in his chest.

Lucy filled the pan and they eased the bowl back down onto the counter. Natsu had to try real hard not to stare at her behind as she walked over to the oven to slide the pan in. Natsu didn't want to figure himself a pervert, but it was so hard when she bent over and it was just… right… _there_. Oh, God, now he wanted to slap it. Biting down on his knuckles hard enough to draw blood, Natsu whipped around so he wasn't looking at her anymore, eyes shaking as he blushed hard enough to pop a blood vessel and get a nosebleed. God dammit, why did she have to be so stupidly gorgeous? If she ever got an inkling of the kinds of thoughts he had in his head, she would slap him _silly_.

"Natsu? You okay?" He nearly jumped a foot in the air as her innocent voice rang over his shoulder. He couldn't look at her until his blush quieted down, so he just laughed nervously, zooming to the fridge to begin rifling through it without thinking of what he was pretending to look for.

"Yeah, um, I'm just, really thirsty!" he lied quickly as he grabbed random things that were definitely not made for drinking, like a bottle of ketchup and a jar of pickles. Lucy watched him with knitted eyebrows until he picked up a bottle of water and his frazzled brain successfully registered the fact that it was a beverage, in fact made for drinking. He slammed the fridge closed and bolted upright, laughing again before guzzling the entire bottle in about three huge gulps. "Ah, that's better!" His voice was several octaves higher than normal due to his heightened anxiety. He tossed the bottle at the trashcan, thinking maybe he could look cool after a whole minute of looking like a freak, but it bounced off. He watched with big green eyes as it bounded across the floor only to land right back at his feet. "Goddammit," he sighed and plucked it up to deliver it to the trashcan like a normal human. Lucy giggled, doing that thing where she held her hand up to her mouth, and Natsu thought he might die.

"Heehee, anyway, would you like to help me make the icing, Natsu?" She waited patiently with an expectant look as his fried brain struggled to process the question. _"Yes," "yes," you want to say "yes," Natsu, _he reprimanded himself after a moment too long of consideration.

"Er, yeah, I'd love to!" he responded jovially. As she turned around, he shrunk back into himself, biting on his nails. Did he look too excited? It was just frosting, for crying out loud. Lucy didn't say anything, so he sighed in relief, thinking that she must not be thinking anything of his excitable behavior. He walked back over to stand over her shoulder, watching with curious eyes as she piled the frosting ingredients into the bowl.

"Here! Stir this!" Natsu jumped back as she suddenly whirled around to shove the bowl and a whisk into his hands. He had been standing right behind her, close enough that his breath was puffing over her ear, and if it hadn't been for his reflexes, the bowl would've tipped, and the stuff would've gone spilling all down his front. He grabbed the bowl in a white-knuckled grip and began whisking it, trying to keep his cheeks from turning pink again. For a second, he thought Lucy's cheeks might be pink, too, but she spun around to go check on the rising cupcakes for him to be sure. "Mhmm, they smell so good," she admired breathily.

"Yeah, I can't wait to sink my teeth into 'em," Natsu growling in appreciation as he continued to lackadaisically swirl the frosting mixture. It was thickening rapidly into a white, gluey paste, requiring him to put a little more backbone than he would imagine putting into whisking frosting. _Man, and Lucy does this a lot. This is hard work! _He thought as she came over to peek into the bowl. He lowered it so she could inspect it properly.

"You're doing good." It was a light compliment but Natsu gushed like a teenage girl about it anyway. "By the way, you only get one! I want to make sure there's enough for everyone," she warned him firmly, waggling a finger in his face. He scowled slightly; one measly cupcake wasn't enough to satiate his rapturous hunger, but he didn't want to see Lucy upset after all the hard work she was putting in for everyone. "Promise me!"

"Yeah, yeah, I promise, sheesh," he huffed as she took the bowl from him and set it on the counter. He poked out his lips in a childish pout. "But I'm _starving_, Lucyyyy…"

"I'll make you dinner after this is done, okay?"

"Woohoo! You're the best!" he howled in glee and threw up his arms into the air. She looked over her shoulder at him with a smile and an amused huff. By this time, the cupcakes had finished baking. Lucy removed them from the oven and set them on some potholders, allowing them to cool a bit before plucking them from the molds. They filled the pan with another batch and slipped it into the oven before returning to the next task, icing the cupcakes. Natsu kept fluttering around her, asking if they were ready yet, and she kept barking that if they didn't cool enough the icing would melt all over the place. It was an agonizingly long time until she allowed him to pick up a butter knife and begin smoothing the creamy mixture over the rounded tops of the cupcakes. He found it a task that required more delicacy than he imagined, as he kept doing it sloppily and getting icing all over his fingers. Not that he cared, because that just meant he got to lick it off. Lucy made him wash his hands every time, though, saying that no one wanted to eat his spit.

After that she let him douse the cupcakes in pink sprinkles. Lucy showed him a neat trick where she filled a bowl with the sprinkles and dunked the cupcake into them, coating the icing evenly in sprinkles. Natsu marveled at her ingenuity, and she got all flustered when he called her a genius and lavished awe on her. After about an hour of repeating the process, Natsu was now salivating at a big red serving plate laden with their masterpieces.

"They all look so delicious… I don't know which one I wanna eat," he said as he crouched down so he was eye-level with the treats, inspecting each on critically with his eager fingers drumming on the table. Lucy laughed from where she was washing the dishes at the sink.

"Choose wisely, because that's the only one you're gonna get until tomorrow." Natsu whined loudly at the impossible task before him. They all looked so perfect! After a few minutes of deliberation, he plucked one that looked particularly delicious and stood up, turning to her. She was just finishing, wiping her hands off on a dish towel.

"Here, Lucy. You try first!" he grinned and shoved the cupcake against her lips, smearing a little of the frosting on the underside of her nose.

"What? I thought you wanted to eat it!" she cried, voice muffled by the spongey cake smooshed against her lips.

"You worked so hard to make these! You deserve to get the first one!" he insisted. Natsu's stomach was yowling and scratching at his insides in angry protest, but Natsu knew that was the right thing to do. Shyly, Lucy opened her mouth to take a dainty bite of the cupcake, chewing thoughtfully when she drew away.

"Yummy!" she beamed. "We make a great team!"

"What? We knew that already," Natsu laughed and proceeded to pop the entire cupcake into his mouth. It made his cheeks bulge out like a chipmunk's. He instantly melted into the chair he had been sitting in, the mute tang of strawberry mixing with the divine cream frosting making him ascend into blissful nirvana. "Ahhh… That's so good," he said as he smacked his lips and continued to work at the thick frosting coating his tongue. "Now I'm sad I only get one," he moped with a longing look at the cupcakes.

"You should've savored it instead of eating it whole!"

"I was so hungry though," he pouted, but he knew better than to test her ire by attempting to sneak another one. She enclosed the serving tray with the matching lid before picking it up and putting it on the counter to deliver to the guild the following day. He could tell she was beat by the way her shoulders sagged and she sighed every few minutes and her eyes drooped. Nonetheless, she was tying a new apron around herself and pulling out pots and pans.

"What do you want for dinner, Natsu?"

"… You don't have to," he refused suddenly. She looked up at him wide-eyed from her spot on the floor, half-way through pulling a skillet from her cabinet.

"What? I thought you were hungry."

"Well, I am, but," he scowled as he fought his ravenous belly, "you look so tired after baking all those cupcakes… All this cooking is hard work… It's not cool of me to impose like that."

"Oh, now you grow a conscience?" she laughed teasingly before standing up, skillet in hand. She flipped it around before plunking it down on the stove. "I don't mind," she told him gently, and the way her expression softened made him bolt upright in his seat. She was looking down at the empty skillet with an almost… loving expression. "Cooking for the people I care about isn't a chore. I don't mind at all, Natsu." She flipped her head around, tossing her lovely blonde hair, and Natsu was hit with a wind of that lovely lemon-strawberry scent that made his nerves go wild. "You don't have to answer. I've got a recipe I've been wanting to try out," she chirped, turning her back to him again as she tried to reach up above the stove where her shelf of recipes sat. She pursed her lips as she accidently shoved it back, out of reach of her wiggling fingers. "Oh, dammit, let me get a chair."

Natsu was behind her suddenly, with no recollection of even moving, reaching up to easily pluck the book she had been grasping for from the shelf. She tilted her head back to stare up at him as he lowered it into her waiting hands. "Oh… Thanks, Natsu." She gawked at him as if expecting him to retreat. His body was caging her against the stove, his chest just barely pressing against her back, arms slowly reaching around to grip the stove on either side of her body. His nostrils were flaring as he drank in that scent of her, the tangy zest of lemon-strawberry, his nerves singing with every puff of it that wafted up his keen nose.

Natsu didn't know what to do about Lucy, but his body did.

He was suddenly aware of how big he was compared to her when his hand slid underneath her chin, fingers stretching all the way to the undersides of her ears as he gently turned her face over her shoulder. Lucy did not resist; like a puppet to his will, her body folded for him, allowing him to maneuver her as he wished. He scanned her wide brown eyes for any sense of fear or discomfort as his face hovered over hers, only a few centimeters away. She didn't seem scared; her eyes were blown wide, shaking, but Natsu could discern the unmistakable glimmer of excitement and anticipation brimming in the rich brown depths.

Still, he wanted to be sure.

"Can I kiss you, Lucy?" His voice was husky, raw with months of suppressed desire. Her eyelids twitched as if she were a doll suddenly springing to life. She blinked once, twice, before looking at him in mild surprise.

"Of course you can, Natsu." She phrased it as if he should know, which made him flush lightly in embarrassment. Who knew how long she had been waiting for him to pull a move? He squirmed uncomfortably, all the confidence he had just had in the moment dissipating like it had drained out the soles of his feet. Lucy giggled that little giggle that made his soul light on fire and reached up to thread her fingers into his cotton candy-colored tufts of hair. "Kiss me," she demanded in a breathy whisper. Natsu felt a pleasurable shiver sing up his spine. Dammit, she was sexy, looking at him through lidded eyes and ordering him around like that. Hot _damn_.

He didn't keep her waiting any longer. With a wolfish smirk, he dove down to smooth his lips over her own. He relished the way her nails scratched along his scalp as soon as he made contact, and the contented hum that vibrated against his moving lips. His thick arms encircled her waist to tug her against his body, because it felt like she simply couldn't be close enough to him. Their noses bumped a little as he passionately kissed her; it felt like his hunger for food had morphed into a hunger for her mouth, because he couldn't get enough, not nearly enough. His tongue kitten-licked at her lips, begging for entry, and when she parted her lips for him and he got a taste of her he nearly collapsed on the spot. Strawberry cupcakes and icing and lemon-strawberry bliss, that's what she tasted like. It might as well have been alcohol because he was drunk on it.

They separated but only just. Natsu's eyes flickered down to watch the string of saliva snap between their moistened mouths. _Hot __**damn**__. _It made him want to kiss her once more so he could see it all over again. Her fingers were lovingly threading through his messy hair, and her head fell back against her shoulder as she opened up her eyes to gaze at him with a feeling so powerful that Natsu wanted to cry. "I love you, Natsu."

"I love you too, Lucy." He smiled and hugged her as he nuzzled his cheek against hers. She made a happy purring sound that had his veins humming with unbridled glee. He had never heard the sound before, but dammit if he didn't want to hear it more, every day for the rest of their lives. She allowed him to hold her for a moment before she straightened up and began grabbing random implements to cook.

"Natsu, do you want dinner or not?"

"Yeah, but I don't wanna let go," he said as he buried her face into the crook of her neck and breathed deep. Lemon-strawberries tickled his nose alongside the fine blonde hairs. He had spent so long wishing to hold her like this; he was gonna get his time's worth. Lucy exhaled deeply in resignation.

"All right, all right, but I have to go to the fridge," she said. Natsu shuffled his body along with hers like a male penguin toting about its young. After a second, a thought occurred to him.

"Hey, Lucy."

"Hmm?"

"Next time you should make lemon frosting."

"Like strawberry lemonade cupcakes? Now that's an idea," she said, pausing from the chicken was slicing against the cutting board. Natsu grinned to himself, burying his face further into the warmth of her being.

_No… Like Lucy. _


	23. Magnolia

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Sting Eucliffe, Yukino Agria

Requested By: anubislover (Tumblr)

Yukino's toffee-colored eyes were scrunched up in nervous panic as she slowly poked her head into the threshold of the door to peer into the bustling party within. Lucy had been kind enough to invite her to the celebration of her publishing deal, and of course Yukino had elected to attend the fellow Celestial Spirit mage's honoring of her momentous achievement. However, though she felt very comfortable around Lucy and her inner circle of friends- comfortable enough to have paid many visits to her apartment in the last several months- she was suddenly feeling a little out of place surrounded almost entirely by Fairy Tail mages. She wished she had at least brought along a plus one; Lucy wouldn't have minded in the slightest.

_Sting would have come with me… _she thought with a blush creeping onto her cheeks. There was nothing for it now, however; she was all trussed up and at the venue, so she might as well give Lucy her congratulations. She sucked in a sharp breath through her nose and straightened up, making sure the flowy skirt of her long white dress contained no creases before confidently striding into the large hall.

A few of the mages gave her passing glances, and a few of the friendlier ones jovial waves and cheerful greetings, but for the most part Yukino was unnoticed as she proceeded into the crowd. She found the pretty blonde by the refreshments table chatting animatedly with a short, petite blue-haired girl Yukino dimly remembered as Levy. Yukino approached cautiously, not wishing to interrupt an obviously animated conversation, but the other girl noticed her incoming and pointed it out to Lucy. Yukino's cheeks reddened a little as Lucy spun on her heel with an excited squeal and dashed right up to throw her arms around Yukino in a firm hug.

"Yukino! I'm glad you could make it!" Following the initial shock of the sudden embrace, Yukino relaxed and returned the sentiment.

"Of course. Congratulations on your publishing deal. I know you've worked very hard!" she said while patting the top of her head affectionally. Lucy pulled back to give her a beaming smile that scrunched her eyes up into little crescent moons. Yukino always had marveled at how the girl could smile with her entire being. Lucy's face then took on a playful and almost mischievous grin.

"So? Where's Sting?" Yukino released a very unflattering choking sound at the very brazen inquiry and the even more brazen implications. Despite herself, Yukino maniacally glanced around the nearby crowd to see if she could catch a glimpse of him; when she could not, she began to suspect that Lucy was cruelly joshing her and gave her a dour pout. "Don't look at me like that! He's really here; Rogue, too! Natsu invited them, supposedly." Yukino knitted her eyebrows together critically. _If he was invited, why didn't he tell me? _Sting had been nonchalant about approving her venture to Magnolia for the party and had made no mention that he would be attending. Surely they would have traveled together if that had been the case! What motive would he have had for not telling her? Lucy looked just as puzzled as she. "Wait… Did you guys not come together?"

"Ahhh, damn it. Now this is awkward," Yukino heard a groan from behind her. Cheeks pink, she whirled around to see Sting meekly rubbing his neck with a discomfited smile. "I was gonna surprise you, Yukino…" Lucy squeaked and put her hands over her mouth in mortified guilt.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know!" Her apology was muffled by her interlaced fingers. Sting gave her that cocky smirk that made Yukino's heart melt every time it graced his fine features and waved dismissively before sliding his hands into his pants pockets.

"Don't worry about it." Yukino compulsively straightened her back as his glittering gaze landed on her. He looked exceptionally handsome, dressed in a pair of black slacks, a matching black vest with silver adornments, and a white dress shirt underneath. As dapper as he was, he was still Sting; the man despised sleeves and so they were rolled up above his elbows, buttoned to hold them in place. Yukino was stupidly aware of how his biceps bulged underneath the taut fabric, and really couldn't help but gawk for a few precious seconds. It was only a few seconds, but apparently long enough; when she finally willed herself to tear her gaze away from the rugged muscles and give him the proper courtesy of speaking to his face instead of his arms, he was smirking perceptively. She gulped loudly and felt the smoldering heat rising to her cheeks. _Shit… _"I'm here now, so that's what matters." Yukino knew he was talking to Lucy, but his eyes remained fixed on her, very much implying that the words were for her alone.

"Right! Thank you so much for coming. Enjoy yourselves; I'd better go make sure Natsu isn't getting himself into trouble…" Though incorrigibly rude, Yukino couldn't bring herself to look at Lucy as the girl dashed off into the crowd. She was still owlishly staring at Sting, who was still wearing that smirk like it was all he needed for currency. She couldn't stop the jolt that jerked her body as he abruptly stepped toward her. Her heart had begun to hammer in her chest so hard that she just knew he could hear it. He could see and hear and _know_ the things he was doing to her, simply by appearing before her like a cunning demon who could lay claims to her soul… If he'd only asked her for it.

Yukino didn't know how long she'd been in love with Sting. It had just gradually grown over time, a seedling budding in the recesses of her mind until its flower bloomed with radiant brilliance to make itself known. It was a rose, devastatingly beautiful but rich with thorns of longing and pain; she treasured it immensely, watered it with her hopes, but found herself constantly pricked by its barbs of possible rejection. She dare not bring it forth and bare it to him, so there it subsisted in the greenhouse of her heart, shielded by blacked-out windows waiting for its chance to see true daylight one day.

"Yukino, you're so spacey." Yukino's face blazed pink when she realized he was standing right in front of her and knocking on her forehead to bring her out of her thoughts.

"O-oh… Sorry…" she meekly answered while rubbing the small pink mark he had pushed into her forehead. He grinned radiantly and dropped his hand, pleased that he finally had her attention. She blushed darker when she looked at the collar of his dress shirt. "You, um… You look really good in white."

"You think so? That's good. I wore it for you." Yukino squeaked as her heart rate rocketed into critical levels. She glanced up, thinking that _surely_ he was messing with her, but the expression on his face was terrifyingly calm. "It's your favorite color. I knew you were going to wear white, too." Her teeth worried her bottom lip to channel her screaming anxiety when he reached up with light fingers to play with the satin straps of her sleeveless dress, which were looped loosely around her neck. As he played with the silky fabric, his fingers occasionally brushed against her collarbone and the surrounding area, sending electricity spiderwebbing through her nerves. "_You look beautiful, Yukino._"

His husky whisper and the way he closed the miniscule distance between them to very purposefully bump his chest into hers sent her heart rate blasting into orbit. Her eyes were blown so wide the muscles surrounding them strained but she couldn't help it; there was something so captivating and dangerous about him and what was happening right now. She simultaneously felt like a princess under his reverence and a captive under his control. _Surely… Surely now is the time, _she thought distantly.

She reached for the flower, marveling at how its petals had increased in sheen in the last few minutes, but the thorns sank deep into her palm.

"You shouldn't tease, Sting," she grumbled and pushed into his chest with the flats of her hands. The smirk finally fell from his lips, replaced by a befuddled frown. Sting was naturally flirtatious. She was no one special and believing anything but would only set her up for bitter disappointment. "I'm going to say hello to Rogue," she huffed, trying to mask the hurt in her voice and turning her face as the tears stung her eyes. She quickly gathered her skirts and went to turn on her heel, but he caught her wrist in a tight grip- desperate but not painful. Sting immediately realized what he had done and hurriedly retracted, loosening his grip to slide his hand up to her elbow and pull on it invitingly. Eyebrows cinched in confusion and worry, he gestured with a jerk of his head to the side of the venue, behind a row of columns and curtains that would provide an ample amount of privacy.

Yukino felt bile bubbling up in her throat as her anxiety mounted; the wounds from the thorns still leaked red blood and she did not know if she had the courage to reach again. Her legs tensed, ready to bolt once more, but then he gave her the most sad, pleading look.

"Yukino… Please."

She did not resist him as he tugged on her elbow more insistently, guiding her body. Her heels clacked unsteadily against the tile floor as her feet moved on instinct, traveling in the direction he willed her. Gently, keeping his troubled gaze on her all the while, he escorted her to the side of the spacious room. They tucked themselves away in the shady alcove, hidden. She was beginning to score the skin of her bottom lip with how much she was tearing into it; she watched him nervously as he checked to ensure no one would come after them before looking at her with incredulous hurt. "Yukino, I… What do you think this is?"

The poignant question threw her for a loop. She wasn't sure what she had expected to come out of his mouth, but it wasn't that. She opened and shut her mouth a few times, struggling to form words, before finally squeaking them out.

"I-I don't know, Sting. I don't know." It was a pathetic answer perfectly suited to her pathetic self. Mortified, she hung her head to spare herself his likely scathing reaction. She had tried not to cry, because she would look frightful from her mascara running, but the black-dyed tears began rolling down her cheeks all the same. "I'm frightened of what it could be." Her body tensed instinctively at the sound of his dress shoes striking the tile floor, and through her tear-laden lashes, she could see their shiny surfaces appear at the edge of her vision. It was disgusting, really. She was normally so confident and sure; however, she was everything but when it came to Sting. She never knew what to do, or what to say, because she was scared- scared, that it was all in her head and she would make a fool of herself.

Yukino had been humiliated once. It was the most awful experience, the lowest she had ever been wrought. She could never, ever feel such shame again. "I'm afraid you'll make fun of me…" she admitted through a heaving sob and put her face into her hands. She knew she would smudge the black tears into her foundation, but it was better than them staining her pristine white dress. White, her favorite color. White, which he wore for her. The thought made sour acid spread over her tongue.

"Yukino…" His voice was so soft, so welcoming. She didn't tense this time when his hands gently enveloped her wrists to pull them away from her face. He pulled them down to rest on his forearms before cupping her face on either side, catching her cascading tears with his thumbs. "I promised you that I would _never_ let you be humiliated and laughed at again. Do you really think that I would _ever_ make fun of you?" Yukino sniffed miserably in response. Of course he wouldn't. It was stupid of her to think that he would; after all, it was Sting. Sweet, kind, supportive Sting. Timidly, she raised her face a little to look at him.

His sweet smile took her breath away. She had never seen him look so gentle and tender. His blonde hair bounced a little as he tilted his head and continued to stroke her cheeks with feather-light touches. "Let me tell you what this is, Yukino," he purred, and the sound rumbled through her entire body, quieting every screaming nerve to awash her with tranquil calm and trust. Trust in his words, in that smile that was undoubtedly full of love. "I'm so in love with you that it's stupid. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever had the privilege of meeting. I could try to compare you to the most beautiful things- angels, goddesses, queens- and they all fall drastically short of _you_. I should've said something sooner, but the truth is I felt so unworthy of you that the words never could come. Then tonight, you walk in here in that dress looking like the moon herself and I finally had the guts to tell you the truth. And now look…" She hiccupped pitifully as he brought his face closer, lips twisted into a miserable smile, "I've gone and made such a pretty girl cry. I really am hopeless." Yukino couldn't help but tearfully giggle at his self-deprecating romances.

"Don't apologize… I shouldn't have freaked out," she sighed contritely. Really, she ought to be a blushing, stuttering mess at his entire confession, but she was oddly calm. Still trapped in that blanket of tranquility Sting had wrapped over her, warm and safe and at peace. It felt like she was bathed in sunshine and no shadow in the world could creep close. She licked her lips anxiously, then added in a meek voice, "I-I love you too, you know. Very, very much."

"That's good, else this would've been the most embarrassing day of my _life_." They both laughed in ugly snorts and her head bumped against his as she looked down, shoulders shaking with barely-constrained giggles. Happy tears threatened to leak over the dam of her eyes, so she hurriedly pushed the base of her palms into them.

"I probably look like a frightful hag," she laughed derisively, feeling more mascara smudge underneath her eyes.

"Nah. Still beautiful to me." Yukino dropped her hands to give him a questioning smile, and he took advantage of the momentary drop of her guard. He swooped forward to claim her mouth in a searing kiss, and her falling arms settled around his neck as if they belonged there. She pushed herself up onto the tips of her toes as he tugged her against him by the waist, angling his head to kiss her with a ravenous hunger. Her fingers toyed with the ends of his spiky blonde hair, while his found purchase in the sweeping folds of her dress, digging into the fabric in an effort to bring every inch of her into contact as possible. Yukino felt like she was blossoming under his fiery touch, like a flower that had long since closed its petals to the darkness finally being graced with invigorating light. She was her flower of love incarnate, finally brought forth into the world by his words shattering the glass cage.

They kissed there for several minutes, in the secluded corner of the venue, before braking apart with flushed faces and ragged pants. Yukino laughed at the smears of pink lipstick across his face, and she had no doubt her make-up was effectively ruined now. Still, he was looking at her like she was the most radiant creature on Earth.

"A magnolia," he said abruptly. She narrowed her eyebrows curiously, wondering if she had kissed his mad. He laughed at her incredulous look and pulled her close by the waist again, tucking a swathe of her light blue-white hair behind her ear. "That's what you remind me of. The most beautiful magnolia." Touched but also embarrassed, she snorted again and tucked her face into the side of his neck to hide her burning blush.

"You're too good at the flirting thing…"

"I did a lot of practicing. Lector plays a very good Yukino; he blushes almost as much as you." She didn't know if he was serious but the thought of him flirting shamelessly with his Exceed partner made her begin to giggle hysterically. He enveloped her in his thick arms to give her an affectionate and crushing hug, all while nuzzling his chin along the side of her head. "He's more of a dandelion weed than a magnolia, though."

"How cruel! He's way cuter than a dandelion weed!" she laughed while lifting her head. Seeing her happy smile made him grin, and he leaned in to press a chaste kiss to her lips. "… Thanks, Sting."

"No need to thank me, darling." The pet name sent all the blood rushing right back to her face. Sting grinned devilishly, an obvious sign that he had meant to embarrass her. With a squeal, she buried her face back into the shielding embrace of his neck. His body shook violently with his raucous laughter. "You're so cute when you're blushing! Come on, don't hide, lemme see." She squeaked protests and squished her face further into him, stubbornly to the point that it was hard to breathe through her nose. "All right, all right, I relent; please, Yukino, come on." With a click of her tongue, she obediently retracted and looked up at him with a childish pout. True to his word, he no longer teased her, but offered the handkerchief tucked into the pocket of his face for her to wipe the make-up from her face. She took it gratefully and did her best to remove the ruined cosmetics, using her distorted reflection in the white tile as a mirror. "Whelp, Lucy's calling for you," he remarked as he peeked out from behind the curtain.

Yukino hastily removed the last streaks of the make-up from her face before straightening up and adjusting her disheveled dress. Before she could instruct Sting to stay a while to keep people from talking, he grabbed her hand and yanked her out from behind the alcove. A few people definitely glanced at them and grinned, which made Yukino's face blaze the color of a rose.

"Sting! What are you doing?! People will talk!"

"Let them!" he grinned jovially and settled in beside her, lacing their hands and giving her that smirk, that one that was all he needed to get by. "Let them talk. I want the whole world to see just how much I adore my pretty magnolia." Yukino flushed and cringed into herself at how stupidly sweet yet excruciatingly embarrassing the sentiment was. Sting called out to Lucy as she strode by in a tizzy; the blonde whirled around, about to say something, but froze when she saw the two holding hands. She then grinned knowingly and wiggled her eyebrows at Sting, pointing at his mouth. Yukino gasped and wiped at the smears of her lipstick still on his face, which she had neglected to remove, while Sting squirmed and protested at the harsh scrapes of her palm. She finished just as Lucy began to sidle up to them mischievously, and Yukino could only sigh and look at the grinning Sting.

_If I'm a magnolia… Then you're definitely the sun that makes me bloom. _


	24. Pillow Talk

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Levy McGarden, Gajeel Redfox

Requested By: we-are-deathcleric (Tumblr)

Levy loved Gajeel. She loved him more than life itself. She loved him with every fiber of her being, down to the miniscule molecules that made up her cells. She would go to the ends of the universe to fetch the rarest stardust if he but asked her for it. She loved, loved, _loved_ Gajeel.

That didn't stop her from standing at the edge of the bed, arms crossed and foot tapping angrily against the rug, and glowering at his snoring form sprawled out across every inch of their shared mattress. Her lips were pursed into two plump semi-circles, pressed together so tightly that there was a thin line of pink ringing the pale pink. A _shower_. All she had desired was a shower before their nightly routine of cuddling while Levy read her latest-acquired novel. Gajeel had haughtily declared that another twenty minutes was nothing to him, yet here he was… limbs slung out in all directions, drooling all over _Levy's_ pillow, and snoring like a freighter. Levy didn't doubt that he had passed out like this in _three_ minutes; he was deep in slumber and had been for a while. He looked peaceful, really. It would be a shame to wake him from such a deep and restful sleep. That's what someone who loved him would think.

Levy loved him, but that sure as hell didn't stop her from yanking her pillow out from under his bush of coarse black hair and slapping him with it hard in the stomach.

"Gajeel! You dummy! Stop slobbering all over my pillow!"

Levy's pillow was made of memory foam and therefore very, very heavy. Gajeel jerked up into a sitting position, wheezing as all the breath was forced from his lungs and clutching his assaulted abs. He looked around wildly for a few seconds, feral from having been so unceremoniously jerked from his slumber, before his bleary and wild-eyed gaze settled on the disapproving Levy. She puffed out her cheeks in a chastising look and hugged her pillow to her chest. "I thought you were going to stay awake, but instead, you're taking up my side of the bed and drooling all over it too? It's a wonder I didn't hear you snoring from in the bathroom."

"I don't snore," he grumbled begrudgingly before a long, loud yawn split his face. He sleepily covered his gaping mouth with a hand and squinted at her through a slightly teary eye. "I wasn't even asleep. I was resting my eyes."

"That's the biggest sack of bull I've ever heard!" she retaliated and raised the heavy pillow over her head threateningly. Gajeel yelped and hastily shimmied to his side of the bed, pulling back the covers for her in a pitiful effort to earn himself back into her good graces. Levy snorted but dropped her weapon down on the bed; it was stupidly heavy and her thin arm had begun to wobble precariously after only a few seconds of holding it. She climbed up onto the tall bed with a small hop and settled herself into her spot, smoothing the creases in the comforter before pulling them up into her lap. She plucked her reading glasses from the nightstand and slipped them onto the bridge of her nose. Levy had perfect eyesight, but she once read an article by an optometrist the literary magazine she subscribed to that reading glasses could reduce eye strain while reading fine print even for those with 20/20 vision, so she had bought a pair. She retrieved her novel from the nightstand as well and wiggled around a bit to make herself comfortable, then opened it to the marked page.

"What's this one about?" Gajeel sniffed as he rolled onto his side and hugged her waist, pressing his cheek into the meat of her forearm to stare blankly at the pages. Levy smiled contentedly as she flipped the page.

"This happens to be a parenting guide." The dragon-slayer's face instantly took on a bubblegum-pink hue, and a giddy grin split across his face. _That sure woke him up, _she chuckled to herself and continued absorbing the print on the soft pages. She was distracted, however, when she felt him shifting excessively and looked down to inquire what his deal was; he was curling his body up against the headboard like a cat so he could crane his neck as far as possible into her lap, staring at the words contained in the pages with great interest. Levy laughed at his cuteness and adjusted the book so he could read without a muscle spasming in his neck. "You could've just asked me to read it a loud to you."

"It's fine. This won't work if you do everything." It was a simple statement, one made in passing, but nevertheless is made Levy's heart swell exceptionally with love. Gajeel had been a little wary at first, thinking his personality too grating to be a father, but it was moments like these that made Levy wholeheartedly believe he would fall into the role seamlessly. Just looking at him, his dark eyes attentively scanning the passages with nothing short of enthusiasm, made little happy tears well up in the corners of her eyes. After he finished the entire page, he pushed the book down in her lap and rolled onto his other side to stare lovingly at her belly. It had not begun to swell yet, but nonetheless, he gazed at it with an expression bursting with affection. One of his big hands smoothed over the fabric of her nightgown to rub her stomach fondly. "You're gonna be a wonderful mom, Lev," he breathed with his gaze flickering up to meet hers. "You already love this baby so much, to read parenting guides so early."

"So do you," she smiled eagerly. His other hand reached up to tuck a swathe of her damp blue hair behind her ear as it fell into her face. His hand lingering there, palm falling against her cheek and thumb swiping over the bone to catch her cheek. "Ah, I'm just really happy," she laughed dismissively. "I'm really happy to have a man who adores his future child so much."

"Even a man who falls asleep snoring and drooling on your side of the bed?" Levy giggled and rolled her eyes, then leaned down to kiss his forehead and the tip of his nose.

"Even a man like that," she confirmed with another giggle. She squealed as he suddenly enveloped her waist again and flipped her around; they tussled around in the bed for a second until they were both laying on their bellies, heads near the foot of the mattress and feet kicking up against the headboard. Gajeel propped himself up on one beefy arm and held the small parenting book in the other, in the perfect position for both of them to read simultaneously. Smiling cutely, Levy snuggled up to him and leaned her head against his thick bicep, and he in turned rested his cheek atop her head.

"I love you, Gajeel," she murmured as she skimmed her fingers over the skin of his arm. She felt him grin and drop a kiss into her hair, then resume his position.

"I love you too, Lev. I love you more every minute."

"I love you more every _second_."

"Don't start that. I love you more every- wait, what's smaller than a second?"

"A millisecond."

"Yeah! That." Levy snorted piggishly with laughter and kicked his calf with her foot playfully. He countered by bonking her head with his own, which made her yelp in mock pain.

"Hey, now! You know your head is big and harder than any iron, right?"

"Yeah, if the kid takes after me you're gonna have a hell of a time pushin' it outta yo- Ow! Lev! I'm sorry!" She interrupted his crude joke by yanking hard on his tufts of black hair. He laughed riotously and grabbed her by the waist to pull her impossibly close, smothering her face in more kisses. Levy squirmed and shrieked and giggled under his assault of affections right up until the moment he settled back down and flipped the book to the next page. Quietly, he began to read with renewed interest, falling into a studious stupor. Levy gazed at his focused expression for a few moments, appreciating how it softened his hard features, before returning her attention to the advice book as well.

Levy loved Gajeel. She loved him more than life itself. She loved him with every fiber of her being, down to the miniscule molecules that made up her cells. She would go to the ends of the universe to fetch the rarest stardust if he but asked her for it. She loved, loved, _loved_ Gajeel, more than she ever thought it possible to love someone. Still, that didn't stop her from falling more in love with him with each passing day.


	25. Snow Fairies

Category: Mild Romantic Fluff

Characters: Gray Fullbuster, Juvia Lockser

Requested By: anubislover (Tumblr)

The cold wind whirled snow flurries around Juvia's barely-clothed form as she stood stoically amongst the rising drifts, eyes closed and poised with concentration. She inhaled deeply and felt the cold oxygen tickling her nasal passages and throat. Slowly, her blue lashes parted to reveal equally sapphirine eyes beneath, and she gazed at the swirling, snowy mountain landscape before her.

Suddenly, with a loud huff, she thrust out her fist. Snowflakes exploded against her curled knuckles, parting the world only with a cold kiss. She flung her left leg through the snowbank to send tufts of the thick, powdery stuff hurling through the air. She whirled on her other foot, crunching the permafrost layer under the sole of her boots, and the toes of her left foot skimmed the surface of the snowdrift to leave behind a thin line. With another shout, she punched the air again, driving back the invisible foes skulking in the light blizzard. Her blue skirt flapped against her thighs, and the skin between the long slits shone like the pale moon, but Juvia was not cold in the slightest. Sweat bubbled over her body, bringing with it the warmth of exhilaration.

Juvia exhaled jubilantly, and the breath fogged before her face. Her muscles burned satisfyingly with the exertion, and in her revelry, she even deigned to flex her biceps a bit. She snickered with glee at the sizeable, rock-hard bulge that jumped up.

"Your training is proving fruitful, I see." Juvia whirled around to see Gray, in nothing but his black boxers, tromping through the snowdrift toward her. Though she had been living with him in the mountain cabin for several months and thus was quite used to seeing him near-naked, the sight of his chiseled abs glinting in the frost and his toned thighs rippling with every stride never failed to set her heart to beating. Crooning, she slapped her hands to her cheeks and wiggled about.

"Gray is too kind to Juvia~ There is still much more training to be had!"

"You _have_ grown stronger, though," he smirked and raked his eyes over her body. His stormy-dark irises traveling the length of her curves set her cheeks ablaze, and they bloomed like carnations in the backdrop of bleak white and gray. When he realized just how suggestive the gesture was, he flushed and looked away with a grumble. Juvia danced about, throwing her hips from side to side in pure elation.

"Thank you, Gray! Juvia is delighted to earn such compliments!" She then grinned widely and proudly balled her fists. "Juvia will work very hard until the days comes that Fairy Tail is revived."

"Glad to hear it," the ice mage smiled admiringly at her. Juvia's brazen determination vanished like a wisp of smoke in the gale, and she went back to cooing and wriggling. Gray snorted in laughter and tromped a few paces toward the modest wooden cabin they shared. "The sun will be setting soon…"

Juvia cast a gaze up at the sky to see that he was right. Through the ever-present blanket of thick gray clouds smothering the heavens, bits of sapphire sky poked through; the first of the night's stars had blinked into existence, and twinkled playfully behind the veil of wispy clouds. The fluffy forms glowed bright yellow where the sun hid behind, gradually making its descent towards the horizon. Very little of its golden light forced its way through the barrier, but what did fell upon the world in striking spears of light. The pattern they created upon the snow was not unlike the marbling of light and shadow found on the lush forest floor. Those sunbeams were growing thinner by the second, blipping out of existence one by one. "We should get inside and get a fire going," Gray suggested while stretching one of his arms behind his head.

"But Juvia wishes to stay out a little longer!" she protested. Gray cast a stern look over his shoulder.

"Juvia, you need to be careful not to overexert yourself." He then smiled kindly. "I understand your desire to grow as strong as possible, and you _will_." Juvia flushed and shyly rocked her shoulders back and forth.

"Juvia appreciates Gray's concern…" At her apparent docility, Gray turned back to the cabin to begin mumbling about the firewood stores. Slyly, Juvia leaned down to gather a sizeable amount of the snow and pack it into a snowball. Careful not to make any undue noise, she straightened up, the loose powder slipping through her fingers to rain back down to its source below. "Juvia appreciates the concern but is just fine, _thank you_!" She hollered and lobbed the snowball at him. She squealed with glee as it exploded like a firework against the back of his head, coating his dark blue hair in the fine powder.

"Hey! _Juvia_!" he yelped and clawed at the coldness spreading over his bare back. Juvia giggled and scampered away from him, but not fast enough. She howled as a snowball crashed right into her bottom, staining a wet spot into the blue fabric of her skirt. With a dour look, she brushed the snow away and shot him a glare.

"How vulgar, aiming for Juvia's butt!"

"I didn't _aim_ for it!" He protested with a cocky smirk and hurled another snowball at her. This time she managed to duck and hurriedly lunged down to scoop up more of the snow. "Too slow!" Juvia squealed as he tackled her, wrapping his arms around her waist and flinging her down into the snow. She writhed in the cold, icy substance, chuckles bubbling out of her chest as she grabbed a handful of the slush to slap it against his cheek. "Agh!" He whined as some of it got into his mouth, and he spat half-melted snow out of his mouth. "Gross!"

"Hehehe, Gray should be more considerate of his karma- Eek!" In retaliation, he shoved a whole pile of the snow onto her face. She sat up, spitting snowflakes from her lips and blinking furiously in the cold. "Not funnyyyy!" She whined and wiped the thick powder from her face.

"You should be more considerate of _your_ karma," he teased. They both giggled, and Juvia began to slide her arms and legs in wide arcs through the snow.

"Look, Gray! Juvia is making a snow angel."

"Indeed," he mused and watched her playful ministrations. Once her motions had dug the likeness of an angel into the snow, Juvia relaxed with a contented sigh. Juvia's blue locks weaved into the snow as she flopped her head back. The drift embraced her like a pillow, molding around her head. Gray's hands dug into the drift on either side of her shoulders, and his knees snugly hugged her hips. His positioning brought a bright blush to her already cold-flushed cheeks. "Juvia?" He blinked when he noticed the odd expression on her face.

"Juvia is just so grateful that Gray allows her to stay with him…" she whispered. She _was_ grateful. Juvia had no other place to go other than Fairy Tail. It had become her beloved home. However, her home was no more. Gray could have very easily cast her aside to train by himself for a year, but not only did he trust her enough with his innermost feelings and frustrations, he absolved to make a temporary home with Juvia. The tears that sprang from her eyes froze on her cheeks. "Just _so_ grateful," she repeated hoarsely.

"Hey," he smiled gently and brushed his knuckles over her cheek, "don't go cryin' on me." She sniffed and obediently attempted to halt the flow of tears. He studied her face for a moment before his gaze gradually traveled down to her lips. Juvia felt her heart thump against her ribcage. "... I couldn't do it, be up here all alone. I need you with me, Juvia. You remind me that there's a place to go back to."

Juvia released a little squeak and clapped a hand to her mouth, ignoring the clinging particles of snow. Gray had never looked at her the way he was looking at her right then, with eyes burning with affection. Gently, he pried her fingers away from her mouth and settled her hand beside her head, on a blanket of her curling blue hair. "Juvia?" He asked, his voice but a whisper. She nodded meekly to indicate that she was listening. "Promise that I can always come back to you."

Juvia blinked. Then she smiled lovingly.

"Of course. Juvia will always be waiting to welcome Gray with open arms. Like a snow angel!" she cried and extended her arms again. He snorted in laughter and nodded.

"Yeah. That sounds about right." With a long sigh, he sat himself up into a squat before extending himself up. He then pulled Juvia to her feet. Snow rained from their bodies like stardust from comets. As Juvia was brushing the powder from her arms, Gray's suddenly wound around her waist, and he pushed his head into the crook of her neck. Her nerves tingled as his warm breath puffed over her pulse point. "Sorry, I just… Sometimes I need to be reminded of home." Juvia's shocked expression softened, and she embraced him sweetly.

"Of course. Don't worry, Gray. We will return home together one day."

The cold wind whirled snow flurries around their barely-clad forms, and with a small smile, Juvia fancied they were snow fairies prancing on the air streams.


	26. Wounds

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Mirajane Strauss, Laxus Dreyar

_Hi, everyone! Hoping to sneak in an event or two for Slayers' Week! This story is for the Day 1 Prompt "Scars." Enjoy! _

As rain plummeted from the cloud-choked night sky by the buckets, Laxus Dreyar hobbled up to the Fairy Tail guild. His clothes were torn to shreds, and blood leaked from dozens of gashes littering his body. They ranged in size from cat scratches to massive, gaping wounds deep to the fat. The blood dripped down his dark clothes to drop into the water puddled ankle-deep in the streets before disappearing into wispy pink clouds. Water streamed down his face in rivulets from his drenched blonde hair that slicked to his head, which hung low, chin nearly touching his chest as he shambled wearily up to the building. Laxus' boots clunked against the damp wood of the guild steps as he slowly climbed them one laborious movement at a time.

The windows were dark save for the reflection of the street lamps on the marbled glass panes. That was to be expected, considering it was nearing midnight, and most of the guild members had retired to their beds. The door released a gravelly groan of protest when Laxus pushed it open. The howling wind sprayed raindrops over the welcome mat and wood flooring; Laxus' blood discolored them as well when he staggered over the threshold.

"Fuck," he cursed softly under his breath as a particularly deep wound in his left thigh blazed with fiery pain. He just barely stumbled to the closest table, and collapsed with an agonized groan against the cold wood. He lay there with his cheek pressed against the grainy surface, one eye screwed up in pain. _Get up, Laxus. This is nothing! _he insisted. His body ached too much to comply, so he continued to slump there, feeling the hot, sticky blood dribble down his calf.

Suddenly, the dismal gloom fled with the oncoming of a soft yellow light. Laxus lolled his head to see Mirajane holding up an oil lamp and hurrying over from the bar. A smear of blood marred the tabletop as he lifted his head to blink blearily at the white-haired woman. Tutting under her breath, she set the oil lamp down, casting them both in its warm creamy glow, and drank in his disheveled appearance.

"Oh, _Laxus_…"

"It's nothing," he gruffed. His body contradicted him; as he moved to straighten up, the gash under his seventh rib sent his intercostals spasming, making him cry out and resume hunching over the table. Mirajane's dainty hands slid onto his broad shoulder as she leaned over him. "I'm… fine…" he lied weakly. Mirajane pursed her lips.

"You are most certainly _not_ fine! You're bleeding everywhere!" she whined loudly, and he smirked despite himself. _Spirited as ever… _"Stay right here. I'm going to get the first-aid kit," she instructed, already walking back towards her counter. Laxus did as bid; there was nothing for it. If he attempted to leave, Mirajane would just drag him back- maybe even in one of her sadistic devil forms. He shuddered just imagining it. No, he definitely preferred to continue bleeding on the furniture, thank you very much.

Mirajane's clacking heels announced her return. She eased into the space beside him, blank-faced as she flipped open the plastic case that contained an assortment of bandages, cotton balls, and packets of ointment and antiseptic. She also had brought a needle and roll of twine, and damp rags. Laxus watched her coat one of the cloths with hydrogen peroxide. Her movements were much too practiced.

"Let me see your leg," she ordered. Laxus obeyed, but hissed in pain as he shifted to present his left leg to her. She stretched it out over her lap and used a pair of scissors to snip the blood-soaked fabric of his pants away from the gaping cut in the meat of his thigh. "This is going to hurt," she warned before pressing the rag down hard into the wound. Laxus jolted and yelled a series of unflattering expletives. The blue fabric of the cloth flooded purple as his blood soaked deep into the fibers; as Mirajane staunched the wound, however, the flow gradually ceased. She tossed the blood-soaked towel aside to press another in its place. Much less blood stained the fabric this time. "You're lucky it missed the artery, or you'd be dead."

"Lucky me."

Mirajane's eyes were chips of ice as she glared out of the corners of her eyes at him. He squirmed uncomfortably in the face of her venom. _She's angry… _He winced as she pushed harder on the rag, and he wasn't sure if it was because she needed to apply pressure or if it was revenge for his apathy. Her eyes fixated on the deep wound hidden beneath her hands, which were smeared with blood too. Seeing her bottom lip quiver, he exhaled deeply through his nose.

She finally pulled the damp rag away. The wound was clean, showing the lacerated muscle tissue. She stoically took the needle and nylon thread, as well as a syringe of anesthesia. Laxus winced when she plunged the needle into his thigh, feeling the stinging lidocaine and epinephrine pulse through the meat. She poked at his leg a few times and, when he didn't react, regarded it to be numb. She began sewing up the wound, winding the thread through the gap to pull the muscle fibers and skin together. When she was tying off the knot, he decided perhaps he should say something, as the silence was driving him mad.

"Mira, I-"

"Don't do that!" she snapped, throwing the twine and needle aside then grabbing the bandages. She unwound them and yanked up Laxus' leg with no care at all, making him grunt. Her eyes flickered to him, and then her body relaxed as she forced the tension out of it. "You don't get to do that," she murmured and began gently winding the bandages around his thigh. It was awkward, as she had to dip in below the fabric of his pants. He watched her with a sour taste blooming on his tongue, because tears were beginning to glimmer on her white lashes. "You don't get to just waltz in here all bloody and beat up for me to fix you. One day, I might not be able to, and what then? _What then, Laxus?_" His lips drew into a thin line. One of the tears dropped from her chin to drop down into the wound. The salt stung, but her words stung more.

She sighed deeply and tied off the bandage, then tiredly gestured to his chest. "Take off your shirt…" Laxus complied, grimacing as he reached over his back to tug the garment up. It caught on his biceps, smudging it with more blood; the friction made his wounds scream. The gash in his ribs was particularly vocal, making him lock up and hold the shirt above his head. Mirajane tutted and reached up to gently ease it the rest of the way. It dropped to the floor, and her hands dropped to his pectorals. Her fingers skated over the many abrasions and small cuts decorating his chiseled muscles.

"Blade magic," he explained as she counted the wounds, one by one. "Some asshole from a Dark Guild-"

"I'm well aware. I read the request," Mirajane quipped tartly. She retrieved a cotton ball and doused it in antiseptic, then began dabbing it over the various wounds. "It was asinine for you to go alone. Why didn't you take the others?" Laxus wrinkled his nose at her blatant chiding and leaned back on his hands.

"I didn't think it was necessary."

"Mhmm, and look where that foolishness has landed you," came her haughty retort. Laxus flinched as she pressed on one of the deeper nicks unnecessarily hard. "You've come a long way, Laxus, but you're still pigheadedly reckless," she breathed forlornly. Her hands faltered to drop into her lap, and she stared at her blood-smudged palms with fresh tears brimming in her eyes.

"_Mira,_" he sighed again, and she didn't interrupt him this time. He shifted uncomfortably as guilt began to prickle his heart with sharp little needles. Begrudged as he was to admit, it _was_ unwise of him to challenge such a villain alone. Mirajane usually was the one to patch him up after his… _misadventures_, so she had seen him in such a sorry state time and time again. She had never scolded him so fiercely before, nor had she been so openly melancholy. Grimacing, he reached up to sweep a swathe of her snow-white hair behind her ear. "... Forgive me. I've hurt you."

She nodded, her throat constricting as she swallowed down a sob. She pressed her cheek into his large, rough-skinned hand, and the feeling of her soft skin rubbing the hard callouses sent shockwaves pulsing through his nerves. Tears dripped from her eyes, and he swept the ones running down her right cheek away with his thumb. Mirajane hardly _ever_ cried, and the fact that this episode was his fault sent cold guilt flushing through his nerves.

"_You're damn right_," she exhaled shakily. The angry flush in her cheeks and her wobbling bottom lip betrayed her tough façade. Her hand rose to enclose around the one cupping her face, and Laxus was surprised to feel her fingers quivering. She fluttered her eyelashes a few times to dislodge the clinging dewdrops of salty water before looking at him intently. "Laxus, I know we've been ignoring this… _thing_ between us, but I _can't_ any longer. Not when you keep doing this to yourself," she sniffed in agony. His gaze followed her other hand as it ghosted not over his current wounds, but the scars that joined them on the landscape of his body. "Not when we're like _this_…"

Laxus wasn't fool enough to be ignorant of what she spoke of. An understood attraction had existed between them for some time now- ironically borne of nights like this, when the dragon-slayer had stumbled in bloody and beaten, and Mirajane played the doting yet stern nurse. The guild walls had borne witness to many a deep conversation in the early hours of the morning. The two of them were privy to secrets and fears and doubts no one else in the world knew. Laxus had always been emotionally constipated and found difficulty in expressing his innermost feelings. Sometimes, he wasn't even sure _what _he was feeling, and usually, that made him angry. Still, Laxus knew enough to know that he loved Mirajane.

Yes. Laxus _loved _Mirajane. He loved how beautiful she was, inside and out; her radiant smile and gorgeous winter-snow hair and bright eyes were but a window to the beautiful soul within. He loved how she could flip a switch and become feisty and powerful and domineering. He loved her motherly tendencies and fierce loyalty to the guild. Mirajane was, through and through, a fantastic person.

So he hated himself because of that. Mirajane loved him enough to wait in the guild until the wee hours of the night when he went on missions to see when he would come straggling in. She loved him enough to tend to his wounds, wind him head-to-toe in bandages, and only say a few chiding words. She loved him enough to hold her tongue until the moment she burst.

How could Laxus not see that he was breaking her heart because of that love?

She woefully buried her face in her hands. "I can't live with loving you while I'm wondering if this is the last time I'll ever see you alive," she sobbed. Her slim shoulders shook as she cried petulantly. Watching her sob made every scar that marred Laxus' body begin to burn like the first moment the wounds had been inflicted. They had hurt then, but Laxus had been remiss to consider something important.

How could Laxus not see that every wound inflicted upon himself was yet another scar on Mirajane's already scarred heart?

Laxus exhaled and leaned forward- the best he could with his leg still propped and his rib wound still oozing blood- to wrap his arms around Mirajane. He hugged her to his chest, burying his face into her scalp and running his fingers through her rivers of snow-white hair. She pressed her nose into his sternum with a low, mournful whine and wrapped her arms around the circumference of his torso, her hands splaying over his deltoids as she pressed every inch of herself possible against him.

"I'm sorry, Mira. I'm so _sorry_." She sniffed miserably and turned so that her cheek pressed against his chest. She wiped at her eyes with the heel of her palm, but neglected to respond. Frowning, he pressed a lingering kiss to the top of her head. "I'll do better. I promise."

"You'd better," she huffed while defiantly puffing out her cheeks, "or next time, you'll be nursing the wounds _I _give _you_." Laxus dryly laughed and buried his face further into her hair, inhaling her vanilla coffee scent.

"Yeah," he smirked. "Sure thing."

With a deep breath, she pulled away from him, shaking out her long hair before drawing it behind her shoulders.

"All right. Let's take care of this last cut," Mirajane smiled warmly and set to staunching the wound. She had to lean close to get the proper leverage, her head hovering just underneath his. Laxus stared at her a moment, then slipped a hand underneath her chin to slowly tilt her head back. Her mouth parted into a ring shape, about to ask what he was doing, but he swallowed her words by sealing their lips together. She sighed slightly into the kiss, pressing against him and moving her mouth in tandem with his. He rubbed his free hand up and down her forearm. Goosebumps rose in his wake as his touch made her hair stand on end. When he pulled away, still pinching the end of her chin between his thumb and forefinger, her eyelashes fluttered several times. A pink haze rose to her cheeks.

"Don't think that gets you off the hook," she huffed and looked down at the wound. She pressed hard against it again, for the surprise kiss had relaxed her muscles. "I'm still mad at you."

"But you still love me?" He asked smugly and propped his elbow on the table. She huffed and applied more pressure, making him growl. She then smiled tenderly, and her gaze flickered to his face.

"Of course I do… even if you're the most reckless idiot in the world."

"Hey," he complained indignantly, "I can think of a handful of people more worthy of that title."

"You'll have to prove it to me," she shrugged cockily and smirked back down at the cut. Laxus snorted, but leaned in to press another chaste kiss to her lips.

"Fine, fine…" He twinged when she pushed on the wound again. Obviously, she desired a more _convincing_ answer. "I promise! Gah! Just stop hurtin' me, damn woman." She giggled mischievously and stuck out her tongue.

"Can't help it. I am a sadist, you know." He rolled his eyes and relaxed against the table as she prepared to stitch the wound shut. Smiling, he watched her work through one cracked eye.

Unlike all times before, Mirajane had a serene smile on her face as she patched him up.


	27. A Smile Like the Sun

Category: Mild Romantic Fluff

Characters: Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia

_Hey, everyone! :) This here is my submission for Day 7 of NaLu Week, for the prompt "Smile." _

If Natsu had to choose the thing he loved most about Lucy, it would be her smile.

Natsu had never seen a smile as radiant as hers. It illuminated rooms like a beacon, filling the space to every corner with a warm, gentle light that no darkness could taint. Her smile seemed to be a sun in itself; not only was it bright and radiating, it possessed its own gravity. Natsu would find himself lured in by its magnetic pull. Lucy's smile embodied everything about the luminous girl that Natsu adored- her kindness, her optimism, her friendliness, her beauty. Yes, Natsu Dragneel _loved_ Lucy Heartfilia's smile.

That's why he _immediately_ noticed its absence when he slipped into Lucy's house to find her morosely lounging on her living room couch. A handful of crumpled tissues were scattered on and around the coffee table. Lucy lay on her back, sniffling despondently as she stared at a tear-stained piece of paper in her hand. Eyebrows knitted together in concern, Natsu walked into the living room and timidly asked, "Lucy? Are you okay?"

The celestial mage jolted into the sitting position and stuffed the paper behind the throw pillows. Laughing amiably, Lucy hastily wiped her tears away with her wrist and smiled at Natsu.

"Of course I am! What's up?" Natsu hunched down, like a wary cat inspecting a new room. Her smile wasn't _right_. The light was dimmed, like a lightbulb flickering in its last moments of life, and rather than a summery bright yellow, its aura was more of a sickly off-white. His green eyes bored intently into her form, taking note of the slouch in her shoulders and the unkempt crimps of her normally brushed and shampooed hair. "N-Natsu? What's that look on your face for?" she chuckled nervously. She pressed her body into the disarrayed throw pillow where she had hidden the paper, obviously trying to shield it with her body. "I'm okay! Really! It's just my allergies."

Natsu's nose wrinkled as he smelled the nervous sweat blooming on her body.

"You're lying," he accused. A pink flush appeared on Lucy's cheeks, and she shook her head insistently.

"Nuh-uh! I'm perfectly fine, see?" She flashed him that smile again as if to use it at evidence, but it only affirmed Natsu's suspicions. Lithe and cautious so as not to startle the edgy girl, he crept around the edge of the coffee table with slow, deliberate steps. Lucy fidgeted on the couch, sneaking her hand around the throw pillow. His keen ears heard the parchment wrinkle as she gripped it.

"Lucy… What's on that piece of paper?"

"_Nothing_!" she screamed and leaped from the couch to take off toward the hallway, flailing the parchment over her head. Natsu's nostrils flared as he vaulted over the coffee table to spring in front of the girl. She squeaked and ducked under his arms as he lunged for her, veering off at a ninety-degree angle to flee into the kitchen. "Natsu! Leave me _alone_!" she wailed as he stormed after her. She scurried behind the kitchen table, heading for the exit to the entryway, but as Natsu came tromping around the other side of the furniture, she squealed and back-tracked. She stopped on the long side of the table while Natsu paused on the other, and they became embroiled in an intense stare-down. Each time Lucy shifted like she was going to flee, he stomped his foot threateningly and lunged in that direction, making her squeak and reconsider her decision.

"Lucy, I am _not_ above climbing on this table!" he warned. He placed a foot on the cushioned seat to emphasize. Lucy cringed and retreated within herself, clutching the letter to her chest.

"What is it gonna take for you to give it a rest?!"

"Tell me what you were cryin' about!"

"I _wasn't_ crying!" she protested and clutched the paper further into her bosom, crumpling it up. Natsu growled and stepped up onto the chair, preparing to scramble over the table's surface. Lucy shrieked as he came shambling on all fours over the wood, but as he snatched for the paper, she shimmied away and took off back into the living room.

"Dammit, Lucy, _c'mere_!" Natsu roared, hopping off the table to scurry after her. He found her straddling the back of the couch, pushing up the window with one hand and swinging one leg over the windowsill. "_Gotcha_!" he grinned as he jumped onto the couch cushions and wound a thick arm around her waist.

"Natsu, _nooooo_!" she whined as he easily flung her like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder. As he stepped down from the couch, he plucked the paper from her hand. Lucy bleated protests and pounded her fists into his upper back and shoulders; she then fell limp like a fish and groaned when he refused to budge, and just resigned herself to her defeat. Natsu's leaf-green eyes scanned over the neatly printed letters on the page, a frown deepening on his face with every paragraph he read.

"… You got rejected for a publishing deal?"

Lucy sniffled wretchedly, then nodded with a tiny whimper. Natsu balled up the rejection letter in his hand and tossed it across the room so he wouldn't have to look at it, because it would only anger him. _How dare they reject Lucy? She's a great writer! _He thought haughtily and stamped his foot. He began grumbling under his breath about the publishing company's incompetence, and for a moment, he was completely oblivious to Lucy. He blinked when he felt her shudder on his shoulder and glanced down between his arm and his body to see tears rolling down her cheeks. "_Lucy_!"

"That isn't the first one. Six different companies have rejected my latest manuscript," Lucy said dolefully. She scraped at her eyes with the heels of her palms, but the tears continued to flow. They beaded on her lashes like dew on grass blades after a morning rain. "I've lost my touch… I'm going to be a one-hit-wonder," she sobbed. Natsu pursed his lips and walked back over to the couch. He fixed the cushion before plopping down, then resituated Lucy so that she was seated on his lap. She straddled him as she miserably wiped at her face, openly weeping and crying out in shame. "What do I _do_, Natsu?"

"Listen to me," he grunted and grabbed both her wrists. Lucy offered no resistance as he pulled them down to rest on her thighs. Leaving them there, he cupped her face and swept his thumbs over her cheekbones to catch the tears still rolling over them. "You are _not_ going to be a one-hit-wonder. Your stories are _amazing_! So what if those jerks are too blind to see it?" he huffed insistently. "Lucy, you're going to be a famous author someday with tons and tons of published works under your belt. I know that because _my_ Lucy _never_ gives up."

Finally, there it was. Lucy's shaky lips wobbled into a tiny smile, like the first glimpse of the sun after being concealed by roiling gray storm clouds. She giggled, scrunching up her eyes like she always did, and leaned forward a little to lay her hands on his chest.

"You really think so?"

"I _know_ so!" he frowned haughtily. Lucy chuckled again and leaned back, a blush alighting her cheeks. Natsu smiled warmly as that smile he adored so much finally broke out on her face, all teeth and glee. Her warm brown irises barely peeked out of her blonde lashes as she smiled with every ounce of energy in her body. The gloom in the house immediately evaporated, and sunlight streamed in from the open window behind them to bathe the living room in golden light. The natural sun's glow couldn't compete with Lucy's smile, though- it was too warm, too bright, too gorgeous. He reached up to pinch her chin between his thumb and forefinger, and she opened her eyes to regard him curiously.

"There it is. I missed it."

"Missed what?"

"Your smile, Lucy. It lights up the whole world. I'm sad without it." Lucy blinked, then smiled affectionately. She melted over him, pressing her torso against his and winding her arms around his neck. Natsu was not prepared for such an overtly romantic gesture, and so he reflexively grabbed her hips. She seemed not to mind, for she began twisting the ends of his salmon-colored locks around her index fingers.

"That's interesting. You wanna know a secret?" Blinking, he nodded. Lucy leaned forward some more, brushing the tip of her nose against his. "_Your_ smile lights up _my_ whole world."

"Really?"

"Mhmm," she nodded, cocking her head to the side as her fingers traveled further up his scalp. "I remember it so fondly- when you grabbed my hand, said we were going to Fairy Tail, and gave me the biggest, most _beautiful_ smile." Natsu, not used to so much overt praise, flushed as pink as his hair. Her chocolate-brown eyes smoldered with an intense heat that rivaled the temperature of his fierce flames, and they fixated intently on his face. Unable to hold Lucy's searing gaze, Natsu's green eyes dropped down to her lips. Suddenly, he was gripped by the overwhelming urge to kiss her. The little smile playing over her plump pink lips was simply so inviting; that gravity, stronger than the largest planet in the universe, effortlessly drew him in. He barely realized what he was doing before he leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers.

She hummed serenely and relaxed against him. Natsu appreciated how every contour of her plush, pliant body molded so perfectly against his rugged contours. One of his hands swept a swathe of her golden hair away to tuck it behind her ear, while the other migrated to her waist, hugging the divot of her body. She tasted like strawberries with a faint hint of zesty lemons. He kissed her lips once, twice, three times, before pulling back a hair and looking into her eyes.

"What was that for?" she asked teasingly. Natsu flushed pink and looked down meekly.

"I dunno. I just felt like it 'cuz you're so gorgeous," he admitted. Lucy snickered and reclined against him, laying her head on his shoulder and continuing to play with his tufts of soft pink hair. Natsu purred in contentment and nestled back into the couch, wrapped his arms around her lower back. She was so cozy and warm that he was beginning to drift off to sleep.

"Natsu?"

"Hnn?"

"Thank you. I feel much better." He glanced down at her to find her smiling again, smiling truly like she ought to. He gave her a lopsided smirk and kissed her forehead.

"O'course."

They drifted off together on the couch, like a couple of lazy house cats snoozing in the sun. However, Natsu's sun wasn't hanging in the blue sky outside; no, it lay in his arms. He held her tight to his chest, his Lucy, his bright golden sun and center of his universe.


	28. Live

Category: Romantic Fluff, Angst

Characters: Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster

Requested By: FlyingPegasus7 (Ao3)

The air echoed with screams, explosions, and the rumbling roars of dragons as Gray dashed through the cracked cobblestone streets of Crocus. The earth rumbled beneath his feet, making his steps unsteady. He fumbled over the ground as it heaved and writhed, the road beneath him fissuring at a rapid rate. As the earth in front of him hurled up a good two feet, Gray screeched to a stop to avoid tripping over the suddenly raised ground. Hastily, he skirted around the risen section of the street to resume his feverish pace, lest he become prey to the dragon skulking through the buildings behind him.

Gray rounded the corner and pressed against the brick, pausing to catch his breath. His chest heaved with gulping breaths to suck in as much oxygen as he could as quickly as possible; after several minutes of sprinting, his body was becoming deprived, and his vision fuzzed gray around the edges. As he peered around the corner of the building, he blinked rapidly to force the blurry image to clear. The ground trembled underneath him, and the quake slowly rose in intensity as a horned head rose over the roof of an apartment complex. Poison dripped from its jaws, which were also encrusted in ice from Gray's feeble attempts to overpower the giant lizard-like monster. As the acidic substance puddled on the building and the road, the hard surfaces dissolved into mush. Thankfully for Gray, the massive beast shambled off in the opposite direction. He breathed a small sigh of relief.

He then growled and slammed his fist into the brick wall. The harsh surface shredded the skin of his knuckles, and blood smeared crimson against the mute red. _What the hell am I doing?! Running away with my tail between my legs… This isn't how a mage of Fairy Tail should act! _he cursed self-loathingly. Still panting slightly, he peered around the edge of the building to watch the wisps of smoke rise from the dissolved building. He said that, but what could he do against such reckless strength and hate? His fist slowly uncurled as his clenched muscles comprehended the sheer depth of his powerlessness.

Gray gasped as a chorus of frightened screams pierced the air. Instinctively, he turned his gaze heavenward to see massive blob-shaped objects falling to earth. The had been expelled from the body of the dragon circling the city. The ground rumbled beneath Gray's feet as a handful of them crashed into the nearby buildings and streets with sickening splatters. One of them collided with the apartment building against which Gray was taking shelter. The ice mage cried out and lunged forward as the roof split, sending bricks and wood beams tumbling towards him. He landed flat on his belly on the cracked cobblestone, covering his head; dust, wood bits, and brick chunks rained over him, coating his dark cloak in white powder. Somehow he escaped significant injury.

Gray pushed himself onto his elbows with a small huff and shook his head to clear the debris from his dark blue hair. As he slowly dragged himself to his feet, the half-destroyed building shuddered and groaned behind him. Water gushed from a burst pipe, rapidly forming a puddle next to the mage that lapped at the toes of his shoes. Gray turned around, brushing the chalky dust from his clothes, just in time to see a dragonoid form clawing its way out of the rubble. Gray's eyes blew wide as it snarled at him to bear razor-sharp teeth and a forked tongue.

As the creature leaped at him with a demented screech, Gray reacted on instinct and used the water beside him to freeze it within an ice wall. Its black form scowled at him from within the transparent, ridged block of ice. Before it could use brute force to escape, Gray dashed off the side street and back onto the main road. Half a dozen of the beasts prowled through the buildings, bending streetlamps in half and overturning café tables with savage headbutts. One of them took notice of his presence and hissed, jumping down from the awning it was ripping apart to shamble towards him.

Gray back-pedaled with frantic gasps, his ice magic swirling around his hand. Suddenly, the small dragon crouched down, and its slimy back bubbled grotesquely. Gray barely had time to throw himself into an alleyway as several white pointed spikes shot out of the creature's body and rocketed toward him. They collided with the brick wall above his head, burying themselves a foot deep and sending cracks rippling through the surface.

_If one of those hits me, I'll be impaled! _he thought before jumping on top of the dumpster and freezing the monster as it nosed into the alley. Two more of its brethren came climbing over the ice wall, screeching while Gray skirted around the corner.

_I have to pick them off one-by-one! _he thought as he dashed through the labyrinthine array of alleys. _If I let them overwhelm me, I'm dead! _It was all well and good in theory, but much harder to exercise in practice. The creatures were tenacious in their hunt for the ice mage, and obviously preferred pack pursuit. As soon as Gray encased one of them in ice, three more would replace it, shooting the white spears at him. The constant guerilla warfare was daunting, and Gray soon bordered on exhaustion. Several of the spikes had grazed him, leaving bleeding and burning abrasions over his chest's bare skin (because at some point he'd flung his cloak to the wind). After another attempt to overpower the small dragons only to become outmatched, Gray collapsed against a dirty alley wall, sliding into a crouch and applying pressure to the small tear in his side.

"Fuck," he whispered softly as his unfocused eyes spied the trail of ruby-red droplets betraying his location. The dragons would sniff him out in due time; he could already hear the scrapes of their claws against the street and their high-pitched weals rising in volume. "Have to get out of here," he groaned and used the small ledges in the brick to haul himself into a standing position. Using the wall to bear most of his weight, he half-limped, half-jogged deeper into the alley, just as a hulky form blotted out the light seeping in from the street. The dragonoid's screech bounced in the small space, ringing in Gray's ears like a death knell.

Gray's eyes widened as a disheveled blonde girl darted into the alley ahead of him, ducking behind some silver trash bins. A few seconds later, one of the monsters skittered by the alley's entrance, snuffling like a boar as it passed. Gray watched, frozen, as Lucy peered out into the street to ensure it had left before exhaling deeply. When she turned around, she caught sight of him.

"Gray!" she hissed and darted over just as he slumped against the wall. Her hands fluttered around his wounds but never touched, not wishing to pain him accidentally. "You're hurt…"

"It's nothing. They just grazed me." Gray looked frenziedly over his shoulder as the metallic bang of a trash bin falling on its side clanged in the passage behind him. "We gotta go." He grabbed her hand and tore away from the wall with a grunt. A smear of blood marked the place where he had leaned against the brick. For the sake of not alerting the nearby beasts to their position, Lucy stifled her protests. After taking fervent glances down both sides of the street, Gray pulled her out into the open, intending to take shelter in the half-destroyed bakery a few yards down the road. _We need to regroup. Fighting these things on our own is a suicide mission! If I could find Juvia or Erza or __**anybody**__, we'll stand a better chance…! _

"_Gray, __**look out!**_"

Lucy's blood-curdling scream cleaved through the night air like a blade. Something knocked into Gray and sent him staggering a few paces to the left on unsteady, wobbly knees. He whipped around as he crashed into a brick wall, and then time slowed down to an agonizing pace. He watched the air warp around the razor-sharp spikes as they sailed towards Lucy, who still had her arms outstretched from pushing Gray out of the way. He watched the blood explode from her skin as the jagged points made first contact, biting into the meat of her shoulder, thigh, and abdomen like carnivorous beasts. The air vibrated with Lucy's high-pitched, agonized wail that seemed to last hours in Gray's roaring ears. Ruby liquid painted the cracked cobblestone, grotesque abstract artworks that only the disturbed would find beautiful. Gray watched, wide-eyed and frozen, as Lucy landed on her belly in the road, unmoving with the blood slowly pooling around her in a shining red lake.

"N-no," he gurgled suddenly. A hard lump made it challenging to speak and release the choking sobs bubbling up in his body. He staggered towards Lucy, but his legs had gone numb. With a haggard cry, he fell on his hands and knees. Those also failed to support him, making him flop uselessly onto his belly. Groaning in agony, he forced his battered body to move. His fingernails cracked as he scraped them harshly against the cobblestone in an attempt to gain enough traction to drag himself forward. His muscles screamed in protest, but Gray managed to crawl a few feet forward where Lucy lay. The blood saturated his skin and clothes, hot and sticky and reeking of iron. Gray pawed at the girl, rolling her over onto her back, and nearly fainted with relief when he found her barely clinging to life.

"Guh… Gray…" Her whisper was but a ghost of a breath. Gray hauled himself to a sitting position with a pained cry. After a few seconds of panting and fighting back the darkness encroaching on the edges of his vision, he settled Lucy's head into his lap.

"Lucy. Lucy, you're gonna be okay," he croaked. He stroked her dirt-caked, frazzled blonde hair with trembling fingers to brush it away from her pale, sweaty face. "We're gonna get you help, Lucy. We're gonna get you help." She blinked slowly, barely able to keep her eyelids open to gaze at him with hazy, unfocused eyes.

"You can't help me." When she uttered that, Gray _shattered. _With a low, mournful moan, he curled over her body. The blood leaching from her wounds filled his breaths with the disgusting metallic tang and his skin burned where the red liquid smeared over it. "You can't help me," she repeated in a quiet, tired sigh. Tears poured from Gray's eyes, dripping down onto her ghostly white face and neck.

"No. Don't say that, don't say that," he began babbling nonsensically. "Help, gonna get- gonna get _help_, Lucy, don't die, _don't die_!" His violently quaking hands struggled to cup the small frame of her face. "Lucy… Lucy, I love you… Please, don't go, don't _leave _me, I love you, _I love you_!" His mind began to swim with fierce regrets. _I should've told her sooner. I shouldn't have let it end like this! I should've done something, I should have saved her! It should have been me! __**It should have been me!**_"Lucy… Lucy…" he crooned in broken whispers as the light faded from her eyes and her body grew still with death. The ground trembled with a rising quake, and in the near distance, Gray heard the unmistakable hiss of a dragon.

He didn't care. He continued to cradle Lucy's body, lamenting every bit of warmth that slowly faded from her skin. His body began to bounce with the intensity of the dragon's weighty steps. He didn't care.

What can a man do in such a moment, aside from embrace death?

Reality splintered. Gray had the odd sensation of floating in space as time warped around him into fractured, unfocused momentary blips. Voices echoed around him, but he couldn't understand any words. Gray closed his eyes, feeling like his entire being was falling apart, and then-

There he was, standing in the middle of the street again, holding Lucy's hand. Gray's hazy mind couldn't process what had just occurred; it only became dominated with the incredible urge to _act_. He whirled around and tackled Lucy to the ground, causing her to squeak in surprise. In the next second, several of the white spikes sailed overhead. They crashed harmlessly into the nearby building, sending the brick wall crumbling. Without hesitating, Gray slapped his palm down and blasted a massive ice wall in the direction the spikes had come from. There were a few pained squeals, and then nothing, nothing aside from the rumbles of the ongoing war around them. He looked down to see Lucy gawking wide-eyed at him, her chest heaving with gulping breaths.

"Gray, I… I…" Her hands roamed her body, searching for the grievous wounds but finding her skin unmarred. She swallowed thickly and then whispered, "_I died._" A hard lump formed in Gray's throat. He couldn't force out words, so he just nodded forlornly. Lucy's fingers dug deep into the meat of his upper arms as tears flooded her eyes. "And you… _And you…_" Her eyelashes fluttered, sending the droplets coursing down her cheeks- cheeks rosy with the flush of life, not pale white with the oncoming of death. "_I love you too._"

Kissing in the middle of the battlefield probably wasn't the best idea, but Gray went right ahead and did it anyway.

His lips smashed against Lucy's in a fierce, passionate, emotional kiss. Lucy's fingers carded into his hair, scraping her nails over his scalp as he ravished her mouth with a tenacity. She fought for dominance for a few seconds, but soon yielded to the waves of passion rolling off the ice mage, allowing herself to be swept up in the tsunami. When she sighed wantonly, Gray took the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth. The hot muscles swirled ardently in a feverish dance, spreading a warmth and love that Gray had never known through his body. It lasted only a minute or so, but to the impassioned mages, it might as well have been an eternity. No matter how much they wanted to ignore the rumbling and roaring around them, they could not ignore the fraught dangers of their reality forever.

As Gray pulled away from Lucy, he grabbed her by her upper arms, hauling her into a sitting position. He pressed another searing kiss to her forehead and then cupped her face.

"After this, I swear on everything that I'm taking you on a damn good date," he promised. Lucy blinked, then smiled warmly, for she heard the unspoken order hidden within the vow: _live. _Gray stroked her cheeks with his thumbs to catch the tears that leaked out of her eyes.

"I'm looking forward to it." _You live too, _her eyes beseeched. He pressed his forehead to hers, confirming their promises with a single glance.

_**Live**__, so I can love you properly._


End file.
